Kyrgyzstan: Eyes Turn to Moscow as Instability Grows

Violence continued in southern Kyrgyzstan through the weekend, with at least 100 people reported killed, 1,000 wounded and tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the country for neighboring Uzbekistan. While Russia has rejected sending military forces to quell the instability in Kyrgyzstan, this has not stopped Tashkent from worrying that Russia may reverse its decision, and then use Kyrgyzstan as a springboard to reconsolidate other countries in the region, including Uzbekistan itself.