Karabakh’s depopulation resulting from Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military offensive called into question the continued presence of 2,000 or so Russian peacekeepers deployed there following the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Over the past month they have dismantled most of their observation posts along the Karabakh “line of contact” that existed until the assault.
“The rotation of the peacekeeping contingent’s personnel as well as the sending of weapons and military equipment to the Russian Federation for planned repairs is being completed,” read a statement released by Russia’s Defense Ministry late on Tuesday.
It said the contingent keeps cooperating with Baku on “preventing bloodshed, ensuring security and observing humanitarian law in relation to the civilian population.” Only several dozen ethnic Armenians are thought to remain in Karabakh.
A senior Russian diplomat said on October 9 that despite the exodus, condemned by Armenia as “ethnic cleansing,” the peacekeepers should remain in the region because their mission “will also be necessary in the future.” Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev discussed the issue when they met in Kyrgyzstan four days later. They announced no agreements on the future of the Russian presence in Karabakh.
Armenian leaders have denounced the Russians for their failure to prevent, stop or even condemn the Azerbaijani military operation. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insisted last week that they were “unable or unwilling to ensure the security of the Karabakh Armenians.”
Moscow has rejected the criticism. It has also bristled at European Union leader Charles Michel’s recent assertion that “Russia has betrayed the Armenian population” of Karabakh.