Residents of Kazakhstan's capital report the appearance of large groups of young people in masks and hoods on city streets, who they say are provoking so-called inter-district clashes. Concerned Astana residents are posting about it on the social network Threads, according to infohub.kz.
User aray17_d wrote that schools are asking parents to pick up their children earlier. "Astana residents, have you heard what's happening in the Arman district? Are we back in the '90s? Why is everyone silent about this? A crowd from 'Chugunka' gathers in masks and terrorizes residents of the Arman district! The school administration is notifying parents to pick up their children. They're asking parents of children aged 12-17 to be vigilant. A patrol is driving around the district, but that's no guarantee of safety. What kind of lawlessness is this? Are we sliding backward?" she wrote.
iKomek responded to the Astana resident's complaint, saying her request had been registered with the Unified Contact Center.
Another user, _qwewwqft, described an incident that occurred in one of the courtyards. "When will this lawlessness and inter-district fighting finally end?! In the spring, crowds of 50-60 people were constantly roaming around, tons of rumors, mass brawls and 'showdowns.' Things seemed to quiet down for the summer, but today it all started up again! At around 8:30 p.m., a huge crowd — about 50-60 people in masks and hoods — just ran into a courtyard in Arman. At that time, small children were playing on the playground and pensioners were sitting there. This time the crowd came from 'Chugunka,' but different sides are constantly involved in these conflicts, and in the end it's ordinary residents of all these districts who sit in fear! People started panicking and called the local police officer — no real measures are being taken. The police only arrived about 15 minutes later. In those 15 minutes, a crowd of 60 people could have maimed or killed dozens of innocent people! And in the end, only one patrol car responds to such a mob. When will all these districts finally calm down and stop these runs and 'showdowns'?" the Astana resident wrote.
The Astana Police Department responded to the post. "A police check was conducted into this matter. All participants in the incident have been identified, detained and taken to the police station. Preventive talks were held with the minors and their legal representatives. Parents were informed of the need for proper supervision of their minor children," the statement said.