Kazakhstan has declared a nationwide state of emergency after protests over a fuel price hike erupted into clashes and saw demonstrators storm government buildings.
Russian news agencies Interfax, TASS and RIA Novosti have reported the state of emergency, quoting a statement shown on Kazakh state television.
States of emergency had earlier been imposed in the epicentres of the rallies - financial capital Almaty, the Mangystau province, and capital Nur-Sultan.
Kazakhstan had cut internet and mobile phone access as its president promised a tough response to what he said were "massive attacks" on security forces.
Days of protests over a rise in fuel prices erupted into clashes with police and the storming of government buildings, in the biggest challenge to the country's authoritarian government in decades.
Accusing protesters of "massive attacks on law enforcement" that left several dead and wounded, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he would not tolerate further lawlessness.
"I am obliged to protect the safety and peace of our citizens, to worry about the integrity of Kazakhstan," he said in a televised address.
"I intend to act as tough as possible. Together we will overcome this black period in the history of Kazakhstan."
Protests spread across the ex-Soviet nation of 19 million this week in outrage over a New Year increase in prices for Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is widely used to fuel cars in the west of the country.
Thousands took to the streets in the country's biggest city Almaty and in the western province of Mangystau, saying the price rise was unfair given oil and gas exporter Kazakhstan's vast energy reserves.
After a night of unrest that saw more than 200 people detained, several thousand protesters stormed the headquarters of the local administration in Almaty this afternoon and appeared to have seized control of the building.
Police fired stun grenades and tear gas at the crowd, some armed with batons and shields seized from police, but were unable to prevent them from entering the building, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
The White House has urged calm and restraint in reaction to the protests.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Russian accusations that the United States had instigated the unrest were "absolutely false."
Additional reporting by Reuters
