Kremlin ‘alarmed’ by reported coup attempt in former Soviet republic

Russian authorities are concerned over reports of an attempted coup in the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said.

Early Monday, local media claimed that Kyrgyz security forces had arrested participants of an alleged coup. According to reports, a group of people had been plotting to take power from President Sadyr Japarov by force.

The identities and whereabouts of those arrested are currently unknown, but judging by the videos of detentions uploaded on social media, the operation apparently took place in the country's capital, Bishkek.

Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry and the State Committee for National Security have yet to make any official statements regarding the situation.

“So far, obviously, very alarming news is coming in,” Peskov said when asked to comment on the reports from Kyrgyzstan. The Russian authorities are “closely monitoring” the events, he added.

Kyrgyzstan is a former Soviet republic of around 7 million people and a close ally of Russia. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. President Japarov was among the foreign leaders who attended the Victory Day parade on Red Square in Moscow on May 9.