The beginning of May saw a series of threatening messages exchanged between Azeri and Karabakhi defence officials. Since the start of the year, Nagorno Karabakh officials have registered a progressive monthly increase in recorded ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan, while the latter’s data shows no major increase, with recorded cases similarContinue Reading
According to official publications from the Armenian and Azeri Defence Ministries, as well Azerbaijan’s State Border Service, border skirmishes took place today between the two sides. The exact places were the incidents are reported to have occurred are slightly different in each statement, but all conclude that it eventually ended.Continue 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
A Military Council hearing was called in Stepanakert today by the Defence ministry’s leadership headed by defence minister Maj Gen Karen Abrahamyan. High-ranking officials and officers from all over the military were present during the meeting, which, officially was aimed at addressing issues related to the organisation of personnel andContinue Reading
The OSCE Minsk Group delegation consisting of Andrzej Kasprzyk, and the co-chairs Stéphane Visconti, Andrew Schofer and Igor Papov, were received by Armenia’s defence minister Davit Tonoyan. The delegation is visiting the region according to official plans, and have come to Armenia to discuss issues related to the Nagorno KarabakhContinue Reading
Over the years, the webpage designs of the Ministries of Defence of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh have changed over the years. With each change the webpages were made more interactive, with a growing emphasis on photos rather than long texts to portray the message. Nagorno Karabakh Observer’s archive bringsContinue Reading
On Saturday, the Chief-of-Staff of the Nagorno Karabakh Armed Forces, Maj Gen Karen Abrahamyan, received his counterpart from Armenia Lt Gen Artak Davtyan. Subsequently, the two paid visits to military bases and outposts along the line-of-contact in the centre and south of Nagorno Karabakh. Officially, the aim of the eventsContinue Reading
From 21-23 March, Azeri Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov paid an official visit to Pakistan, where he met up with his counterpart Pervez Khattak. During the meeting, the two sides discussed developing further ties, particularly in the military-defence field. The event was initially made public during a meeting between Azerbaijan’s AmbassadorContinue Reading
This week, the Minister of Defence of Nagorno Karabakh, Maj Gen Karen Abrahamyan received the head of Armenia’s Security Council, a consultative body serving the executive in Yerevan, a visit to Stepanakert for a formal meeting. The meeting was aimed at discussing the latest developments along the line-of-contact with AzerbaijanContinue Reading
Little is known about the defence industry in Armenia. Local private, public and semi-public companies that produce, investigate, test out products destined for the Armenian Armed Forces tend to be quite conservative in regard to public announcements, however, the industry seems to be very active and booming. Compared with Azerbaijan’sContinue Reading
Just as his counterpart on the other side of the border, Azeri Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov visited military outposts on the other side of the Line of Contact. His visits were aimed at boosting morale, inspecting technical issues and getting personally acquainted with the situation. Information about the visit was officiallyContinue Reading
The newly appointed head of the Nagorno Karabakh Defence Army (the equivalent to the ministry of defence), Maj Gen Karen Abrahamyan visited military outposts along the line of contact in what is the first official visit of its kind. According to Maj Gen Abrahamyan, the aim of the visits wasContinue 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
