Yesterday, a prisoner swap took place between Armenia and Azerbaijan through means of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in what was a rare development possibly aimed strengthening confidence building between the Armenian and Azeri sides. Officials in Baku agreed on returning 45-year-old Zaven Karapetyan, who, according toContinue Reading
According to Armenian media reports, the Nagorno Karabakh Defence Ministry appointed a new deputy minister today, signed by decree of Bako Sahakyan, President of the de facto state. The deputy minister assigned is Major General Mikayel Arzumanyan, a veteran of the war in the 1990s. In July of 2018, Maj GenContinue Reading
Source: Strakes, Jason “The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Engagements Beyond Europe and Eurasia”, PONARS Eurasia, June 2019 About the author: Jason E. Strakes is Associate Research Fellow and former Visiting Lecturer in the Politics and Security Progamme at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. *all opinions expressed are those of the original authorContinue Reading
A rare statement came out of Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry today. Reportedly for the first time since records are kept online Azeri officials stated that on 23 June, the situation on the line-of-contact was “relatively calm” with “a sporadic few shots heard along the line-of-contact”, something that follows nine days ofContinue Reading
Units from the Azeri Armed Forces took part in a combat-readiness exercise, with life-fire drills at a training ground near Ganja. The official statement from military officials stated that the units taking part in the event were motorised, tank-armoured, artillery and anti-air defence units. Military hardware taking part inContinue Reading
According to a publication from military officials in Stepanakert, life-fire drills took place today at the Tigranakert training ground in eastern Nagorno Karabakh. The drills were aimed at further integrating coordination between motorised, armoured, artillery, anti-air defence and engineering units from the Nagorno Karabakh military. The mentioned units participated inContinue Reading
On 21 June, Azeri defence authorities revealed in a statement that Armenian forces violated the ceasefire along the line-of-contact 21 times using grenade launchers. No details were provided on the precise whereabouts of where the grenades were launched. Armenian defence authorities in Nagorno Karabakh in a special statement expressed thatContinue Reading
The Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers, Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mamedyarov respectivally, met the OSCE Minsk Group co-Chairs Stéphane Visconti of France, Andrew Schofer of the United States and Igor Papov of Russia, alongside the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk in Washington today to discuss issues relatedContinue Reading
On 18 June, Azeri defence officials revealed a video, in which a military surveillance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle, or commonly drone) apparently fly over Armenian military vehicles during exercises in the territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Azeri officials in their statement mentioned that the drills are “under their control”, referring toContinue Reading
Large-scale military exercises are underway in Nagorno Karabakh. As mentioned in an earlier post, military officials in Stepanakert announced major military exercises will take place with the participation of around 10.000 troops, over 400 technical vehicles, 200 artillery guns, 150 armoured vehicles and 50 anti-air defence systems. The event will beContinue Reading
Military officials in Stepanakert announced major military exercises will take place with the participation of around 10.000 troops, over 400 technical vehicles, 200 artillery guns, 150 armoured vehicles and 50 anti-air defence systems. The event will be accompanied by life-fire drills. Particular emphasis will be put on nocturnal operations andContinue Reading
Armenia’s defence minister Davit Tonoyan visited a military outpost on the Armenia-Nakhichevan border to follow-up on the latest developments, security-operational situation, monitor Azeri troop movements and the latest renovation projects on military outposts conducted by Armenian troops on this segment of the militarised border. Finalising his visit, officials reported thatContinue Reading
Footage and satellite imagery from the past several months highlight demolitions of ethnic-Armenian churches, homes, residential buildings and even a village in Nagorno Karabakh. The demolitions were carried out by Azerbaijan’s government, now fully in control of the territory. The entire Armenian population of 120,000 fled to Armenia proper
Mayors of the three major cities of former Nagorno Karabakh, have been arrested by Armenian authorities coinciding with a growing opposition movement with whom they may have been associated with. The mayor of Karabakhi capital Stepanakert, and those of Askeran and Martakert cities have been detained by Armenian authorities. Stepanakert
On 24 May, 2024, Armenia’s Defence Ministry reported that the country’s prime minister nominated five colonels to be promoted to the rank of major general. This is one of the highest numbers of officers promoted to such ranks in one act in recent years. These career advancements possibly indicate loyalty,
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
Since approximately 2020, mystery aircraft have been spotted flying around Azerbaijan’s northwestern Dallar airbase, 30 km from Armenia’s border. They were spotted a month prior to the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war and had been seen numerous times since. The aircraft had not been able to be explicitly identified through open
