The cynic me thinks his Russian “advisers” told him that’s the correct way. Because the current situation is unsustainable and instead of chaos they can’t deal with right now, they both get to maintain their power and for the FSB dealing with a few more people with less power but more aspirations might be a better deal.
At the end of the day they are buying time and what is given by decree can also be taken way by decree either formally or in practical terms.
Let’s hope I’m wrong or they really get what they just pretended to want.
The FSB will not have any budget nor political stability in the next few years to handle anything more than their own internal power struggles, once out of Kazakhstan they'll stay out.
Does this make a material difference? Hypothetically, if Russia wanted an ally in good books woth the west to help with evading sanctions (or to jist cement Kazakh leadership) - wouldn't they advise Kazakhstan to say exactly this? They'd lose nothing, AFAICS
At the end of the day they are buying time and what is given by decree can also be taken way by decree either formally or in practical terms.
Let’s hope I’m wrong or they really get what they just pretended to want.