After sending ships to the Caspian Sea, Russia also sent fighter jets near Azerbaijan

By Boyko Nikolov On Oct 19, 2020

MOSCOW, (BM) – The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh continues to attract the attention of the countries bordering the two warring states – Armenia and Azerbaijan. BulgarianMilitary.com learned from the Russian news agency Avia.pro that Moscow has sent several Su-27 fighters and Su-25 attack planes to the border with Azerbaijan, without entering the air territory of the Azeris.

We remind you that just a few days ago, Russia sent six warships to the Caspian Sea, and the official announcement of this was an ongoing anti-terrorist exercise involving part of the naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The main idea of the exercise, according to the Russian military, is to protect key sites of economic importance and counter possible terrorist organizations that would take the opportunity to cause chaos in the area. However, such an extraordinary exercise is a signal that Russian intelligence is likely to have similar information about illegal groups that may have been preparing similar terrorist acts on the territory of civilian economic structures.

So far, analysts have not dared to predict the exact purpose of the Russian fighters sent to the area. Bolder analysts’ claims are in anticipation of a large-scale military conflict that could affect Russia’s territorial integrity, or simply a “forceful” warning to Baku to cease fire immediately.

There is a third possibility, which sounds most logical. In the region, Russia has its own Russian military base Gyumri, which has so far been unaffected by hostilities and in no way affects other countries, ie. Moscow may want to strengthen the defense of the Russian base in the event of escalation of the conflict. Such a possibility does exist, as Turkey has directly or indirectly created tensions and provocations around the base in recent weeks.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on September 27, active clashes are taking place in the disputed territory. Martial law was introduced in Azerbaijan and Armenia, and mobilization was announced. Both sides reported killed and wounded, including civilians. In Baku, they announced the control of several Karabakh villages and strategic heights. Yerevan also reports about the shelling of the territory of Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan SSR.

During the armed conflict in 1992-1994, the Azerbaijani side lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven areas adjacent to it. Since 1992, negotiations have been conducted within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is led by co-chairs – Russia, USA and France.

In 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, through the mediation of Russia, signed the Bishkek Armistice Protocol. At the same time, military operations did not stop there, which periodically renewed.

The most significant exacerbation of the conflict was the four-day war of 2016. Then hundreds of soldiers on both sides became victims.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan last year, called for a rhetoric that would go against the fundamental principles endorsed by both sides and enshrined in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act when resolving the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry admitted that much more needs to be done to achieve a long-term political settlement.

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BulgarianMilitary.com
Editorial team