Unlike most instances where there's crisis or conflicts near Russia's borders, the White House has been slow to respond to fast-moving events in Kazakhstan, only saying that it questions the "legitimacy" of the Kremlin sending troops to the country to help restore order under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

"We are closely monitoring reports that the Collective Security Treaty Organization have dispatched its collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan," press secretary Jen Psaki said. "We have questions about the nature of this request and whether it has — it was a legitimate invitation or not. We don't know at this point."

The day prior she had denounced as "crazy" reports out of Russian media that the US and its allies could be stoking the uprising, unrest and destruction - which has seen a presidential residence and multiple government buildings torched, and widespread looting, after dozens of deaths on both the police and protest side. More recently Beijing has also floated that it believes the likelihood that the US is covertly involved. 

It was during her Wednesday press briefing that Psaki called out the "Russian disinformation playbook" while addressing the Kazakhstan situation: 

"We're monitoring reports of protests in Kazakhstan. We support calls for calm, for protesters to express themselves peacefully and for authorities to exercise restraint," Psaki told reporters during her regular briefing. 

"There are some crazy Russian claims about the US being behind this. Let me just use this opportunity to convey that as absolutely false, and clearly a part of the standard Russian disinformation playbook."