This past week, between 22-23 June, the head of Azerbaijan’s State Border Service (SBS), Elchin Guluyev, visited military positions in northwestern Azerbaijan on the border with Armenia. While the exact location was not specified, the official statement provided by the SBS mentioned that it took place in the district ofContinue Reading
On 21 June, Azerbaijan’s defence minister, Zakir Hasanov, gave an exclusive interview highlighting the country’s military modernisation programme during the past seven years. Full interview provided by Azeri CBC The highlights of the interview below: “today, 80% of Azerbaijan’s army consists of professionals (officers, commanders, etc.), 10% are civilians,Continue Reading
On 20 June, Azeri defence officials inaugurated a new facilities building at a special forces military base on the outskirts of Baku. According to an official notification, the building includes a commander’s hall, classrooms and medical facilities, the opening ceremony was headed by Special Forces commander Hikmet Mirzayev, with noContinue Reading
On 19 June, officials at Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry revealed the opening of a new military base along the east-west section of the line-of-contact (northern segment for Nagorno Karabkah), between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh; the event was headed by defence minister Zakir Hasanov. Construction of the military base, which lies approximatelyContinue Reading
In response to the recent statements by the de facto Nagorno Karabakh (NK) authorities about the construction of a third road into the territory, Azeri defence officials released a statement on 11 June, which stressed that as a result of “successful operations between 2016-2018” roads leading into Nagorno Karabakh fromContinue Reading
Over 200 new troops were sworn in to start military service at the headquarters of Nakhichevan’s military garrison in Azerbaijan. The ceremony was headed by the commander of the Nakhichevan exclave’s garrision, Kerim Mustafayev, as well as general-mayor Teymur Eyyubov of the local garrison. No further details on the eventContinue Reading
On 6 June, the newly-elected president of de facto Nagorno Karabakh(NK), Arayik Harutyunian, visited special forces troops of the National Security Service (NSS) at an undisclosed location. According to an official statement, Harutyunian was accompanied by the NSS head, Kamo Aghajanian. No details of the official visit were made public,Continue Reading
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev paid a visit to newly-constructed military base 10 km from the central segment of the line-of-contact near the abandoned town of Aghdam. News of the visit was published on the president’s official webpage as well as that of the Defence Ministry. This is significant, in that,Continue Reading
On 5 May, Azeri defence minister, Zakir Hasanov, the head of the Military Affairs department of the presidential administration, Maharram Aliyev, along with other high-ranking military officials visited military installations along the line-of-contact. According to an official publication by Azeri defence officials, the area visited was between the Karabakhi villageContinue Reading
On 1 May, de facto Nagorno Karabakh’s defence minister, Jalal Harutyunyan, received his Armenian counterpart, Davit Tonoyan, for a two-day official visit. According to official news, Tonoyan visited military installations in northern and central Karabakh, meeting with officers and servicemen during the visits. The defence ministers discussed further plans forContinue Reading
These past week, the head of Azerbaijan’s State Border Service (SBS), Elchin Guliyev, visited a series of military positions on the country’s border with Armenia amid heightened tensions between the two precisely on this segment. According to an official notification, Guliyev visited SBS detachments in the region of Gazakh toContinue Reading
On 17 March, Azer Defence Minister Gen Zakir Hasanov along with other high-ranking officials visited the southern segment of the line-of-contact (LoC) with Nagorno Karabakh. During the visit, Gen Hasanov visited a major military base, military positions on the LoC, including the Leletepe heights under Azeri military control since theContinue Reading
Azerbaijan’s defence minister receives large Turkish delegation headed by the country’s deputy defence minister and the heads of numerous Turkish defence firms. The two sides discussed further military coop. including joint weapons production. Interestingly, Turkish general Bahtiyar Ersay appears in a complete Azeri military uniform on Azerbaijan’s side of the
In January 2024, footage emerged of what appear to be Azeri military personnel in the ethnic-Armenian village of Hakaku, Nagorno Karabakh (NK). The village, along with the entire territory of NK were overran by Azerbaijan’s military during it’s offensive in September 2023. One of the first sources of the footage
Mystery flights from Azerbaijan’s Dallar airbase most likely military helicopter training flights, possibly Mi-8 gunships/transport or even Turkish T-129 gunships (recently seen in Azerbaijan during the “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 2023” military drills. Neither aircraft had registration numbers according to @flightradar24, but did have call signs (SMK701 and SMK702) and ICAO 24-bit
An updated map of Tagavard village, Nagorno Karabakh, with its western half under Azeri military control and eastern under Karabakhi since the 2020 ceasefire, shows around 38 homes demolished. According to Sentinel Hub maps, the Azeri side demolished the homes between 2 and 12 July 2021. Military positions dividing the
At around 16:00 hours on 24 March 2022, reports emerged of Azeri troops overrunning Farukh village in Nagorno Karabakh. This village of 100 inhabitants lies around 2 km from the new 2020 ceasefire line-of-contact that separates Azeri and Karabakhi Armenian forces; it sits just below a major ridgeline considered a
On 12 March 2022, Nagorno Karabakh authorites reported 60mm mortar shells fired at Farukh village by Azeri troops. While no injuries were reported, a house was damaged. Karabakhi authorites provided photos of the damage, as well as that of an exploded mortar shell. Judging by the photos, NK Observer experts
