Sunday, Armenia, Azerbaijan Trade Accusations Over Fresh Karabakh Fighting NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Ethnic Armenian militants stand at a checkpoint near village of Charektar at a new border with Kalbacar district turned over to Azerbaijan, November 25, 2020 Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Sunday of violating a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement following fighting reported in Nagorno-Karabakh’s southwest. It insisted that Azerbaijani forces launched an assault on Karabakh Armenian positions in and around around two remote villages in Karabakh’s southern Hadrut district that was mostly occupied by them during the recent war. According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani army used heavy artillery to capture one of those villages and approach the other on Saturday. A ministry statement said six Karabakh Armenian soldiers were wounded as a result. It said that Russian peacekeepers rushed to the area late on Saturday to try to stop the hostilities. Their negotiations with local Armenian and Azerbaijani commanders are still going on, added the statement issued at around noon. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said early in the afternoon that Azerbaijani troops also took “provocative actions” around two other Hadrut villages remaining under Karabakh Armenian control. It alleged a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement that stopped the six-week war on November 10. Azerbaijani denied violating the ceasefire, in a joint statement issued by its Defense Ministry and State Security Service. It said that the Azerbaijani army stationed in the Hadrut district launched a “counterterrorist operation” after one of their soldiers was killed on Tuesday. The statement claimed that the Russian peacekeepers arrived in the area to try to “evacuate” Armenian troops remaining there. It said that the latter refused to pull out and attacked Azerbaijani forces. The Armenian Defense Ministry asserted, however, the peacekeepers’ talks with the warring sides are aimed at getting them to “return to their previous positions.” It also said Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian discussed the situation on the ground with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu during a visit to Moscow that began on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed truce violations in the Hadrut area but did not blame either side for the escalation or say what the Russian peacekeepers are trying to do there. The peacekeepers have had no observation posts in that area until now. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Category: 2020
CivilNet: Why was the war lost in Karabakh? Samvel Babayan’s Revelations from the 44-day war
CIVILNET.AM
12:50
“The [Artsakh] Security Council attempted to understand the opponent’s resources. We sent a letter regarding this to the [Artsakh] Defense Army, to which the response was that we must ask Armenia’s Ministry of Defense.
I called [Armenia’s] Minister of Defense [David Tonoyan], who gave an evasive answer, something to the effect that the information is secretive.
We wanted to get details about weapons, military units but they made it clear that they could not provide that information to us. Secondly, we could not go to the [military] positions ourselves. The Security Council is an advisory body, yet without having information about the opponent, we had to develop a plan.”
“Karabakh was to gather 17,500 reservists. The first stage [of the war], which required 7,500-8,000 reservists, was roughly 90% complete.
Nothing happened after that. There was freedom of movement for reservists, they could come and leave when they pleased. I notified both Armenia’s prime minister and Karabakh’s president regarding this issue.
When the army sees that we can not suppress the enemy’s drones and artillery, they become afraid.
The commanders of the military unit are not able to perform a task either, because they are trained to lead 2,000 people and not 4,000.
[Artsakh Defense Army Commander] Jalal Harutyunyan was obliged to promote a 19-year-old to a lieutenant or a commander of a platoon. This is the result of ten years of bad personnel policy.
When the military commissariats were sending reservists to Jabrayil, did they not understand that it should be those who previously served in Jabrayil? They should have been properly organized. Let them conduct an honest investigation so that our society will clearly understand what happened.”
“On the morning of September 27, the Armenian side lost 50 percent of its anti-aircraft resources and 40 percent of its artillery.
Within a few days of advancement into the south, the enemy changed the length of the front, the line of contact from 270 kilometers to 470 kilometers. We didn’t possess the resources to cover that front.
I suggested setting up a command post in the south and sending Movses Hakobyan [the then head of the military control service and former Chief of the General staff of the Armenian Armed forces, and former commander of the Artsakh defense Army] in that direction. He later said that he did not go due to personal problems. If this commander refuses to do his job, what could we demand from a junior officer, a regiment commander?
When the enemy broke through and reached Jabrayil, it expanded towards Khudaferin. At this point, I suggested closing the road near Kiant-Horadiz and cutting the enemy off. I personally suggested it to Jalal Harutyunyan, and he personally participated in the plan. Two brigades were formed. By closing that road and closing their supply line, we would not arrive at the current situation.
When our brigades arrived, the Azerbaijanis greeted our tanks with flags, not realizing that they are Armenian. Azerbaijan suffered the loss of 150 personnel. But the second Armenian brigade does not even try to move forward, to strengthen the position․ The commander is wounded in the leg, the deputy does not carry out orders, etc.
An investigation should find out why the two brigades could not fulfill their task and who is to blame.”
In the village of Sghnakh [the Azerbaijanis] had set up a base and were stretching towards Shushi. There were three Armenian battalions. The Arajadzor battalion had to enter Avetaranots and take the hill, cut off the enemy from the road and surround Sghnakh on both sides, forcing the enemy to retreat from Shushi.
In the village of Shosh, the commanders are told about the operation. On the night of November 5, I was told that the Arajadzor battalion refused, then the two Armenian battalions refused as well.
Let the investigation find out what they said, why such a situation was created.”
“We did not have an anti-aircraft force, we had six Tor missile systems, four of which were destroyed.
Now people say there were weapons that Armenia did not give.
I say, Armenia gave what it had.
All the tales about our having had weapons are not true. We did not have them. For obvious reasons, Russia was not obliged to give us weapons, we had to buy them at the time. Nobody owed it, we had to have it.”
Azerbaijan Says 4 Soldiers Killed Amid Cease-Fire Violations in Nagorno-Karabakh
Voice of America
Dec 13 2020
Azerbaijani defense officials say four soldiers have been killed since a cease-fire last month ended large-scale clashes with ethnic Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The Defense Ministry statement on December 13 gave few details as to when or where the deaths took place, saying only they occurred in an area that Azerbaijani forces took control of in the fighting that formally ended on November 10.
A day earlier, both Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations over heavy new fighting and new violations of the Russian-brokered cease-fire, which occurred in the southern Hadrut district.
It was unclear if the deaths announced on December 13 by Azerbaijan occurred in the Hadrut region.
FILE – A view shows a burnt tank near Hadrut town, which recently came under the control of Azerbaijan’s troops following a military conflict against ethnic Armenian forces, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Nov. 25, 2020.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, accused Azerbaijan of “gross violations” of the cease-fire but gave no further details. And a day earlier, Armenia’s Defense Ministry accused Azerbaijani forces of attacking positions held by ethnic Armenian forces near Hadrut.
The Karabakh Defense Army, the fighting force of the ethnic Armenian administration that controlled Nagorno-Karabakh until last month’s cease-fire, said earlier that three of its fighters were wounded in clashes on December 11.
Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, but the territory and some surrounding areas have been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since the early 1990s.
The two sides have skirmished regularly over the years, but in September, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that resulted in Baku regaining control of the surrounding districts, and much of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
The sides agreed to a Russian-brokered cease-fire in early November, resulting in in the deployment of 2,000 Russian peacekeeping forces to the conflict zone.
Russian peacekeepers acknowledged violations in Hadrut on both December 11 and 12, but did not assign blame.
Overall, Azerbaijan has reported 2,783 of its soldiers killed in the latest bout of fighting.
Armenia has not released a final death toll for its military, but Nagorno-Karabakh military officials have said at least 2,317 soldiers had been killed.
Azerbaijan’s defence ministry reports death of four troops since peace deal
WION News
Dec 13 2020
WION Web Team
Continuing the tensions in the area, Azerbaijan has reported the death of four troops in the Nagorno-Karabakh region despite an ongoing peace deal, which was set up with the Armenian separatists in November.
The defence ministry has alleged that a group of Armenian fighters are still present in the region and had attacked Azerbaijan’s troops, breaking the terms of the peace accord.
Also read|
This claim has come as a serious allegation against Armenia which is being accused of violating a Russian-brokered truce between the two regions which was initiated after a violent fight that went on for nearly six weeks between the two regions.
The defence ministry has said that an exchange of fire took place on November 26 which took lives of three servicemen and injured the fourth man, leading to his death. The incident happened near the village of Hadrut.
It also claimed that “the Armenian side has six wounded” separatists from the violent encounter, which the ministry claimed was initiated from the opposite side which was seen armed with heavy artillery.
The six-week conflict that erupted in September between the separatists backed by Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mountainous region ended November 10 with a Moscow-brokered peace deal that saw the Armenians cede swathes of territory. This tensed situation has led to the displacement of several thousand and had also claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people.
After the six-weeks long fight, Russia had brokered a peace deal between the two and had also deployed nearly 2,000 troops in the Nagorno-Karabakh for peacekeeping.
The Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has vowed to use an “iron fist” to “crush” and tackle the “troubling” situation between the two foes.
Flare up in Karabakh – what Baku and Yerevan are saying
JAM News
Dec 13 2020
- JAMnews
Armenia claims Azerbaijan continues provocations in Nagorno-Karabakh
TASS, Russia
Dec 13 2020
According to the statement, Azerbaijan staged provocation during the visit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to the region and this posed a challenge to its efforts on peaceful settlement
YEREVAN, December 13. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s forces continued their provocation in the settlements of Metz-Shen and Hin-Shen in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Hadrut Province, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
“We strongly condemn this gross violation of commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan’s supreme military and political leadership in a trilateral statement on ending combat actions and deploying Russian peacekeepers. We stress that these steps are directed at playing down Russian peacekeepers’ presence in the conflict zone,” the document said.
According to the statement, Azerbaijan staged provocation during the visit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to the region and this posed a challenge to its efforts on peaceful settlement. This is also part and parcel of unacceptable statements made by the Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders. Yerevan notes that this once again points to the Turkish-Azerbaijani expansionism policy.
“The official Baku’s steps highlight the need for deoccupying the territory of Artsakh (the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic) and returning Armenians of Artsakh to their places of residence. Given the impunity of Azerbaijan, which violates its international commitments, we are calling on co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to unambiguously and clearly respond to the Azerbaijani side’s steps, which are aimed at violating the ceasefire, ethnic cleansing and occupying Armenian settlements,” the statement said.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the agreement, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides maintained the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region. In addition, Azerbaijan regained control over the Agdamsky, Kelbadzharsky and Lachinsky districts.
Nagorno-Karabakh Becomes The Scene Of A Clash Between Turkey And The West
Greek City Times
Dec 13 2020
by Guest Blogger
Russian peacekeepers suppressed ceasefire violation in Karabakh, commander says
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 13 2020
Russian peacekeepers on Friday suppressed a ceasefire violation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation in the region returned to normal, commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov told reporters today, TASS reports.
“A ceasefire violation was registered on December 11, in the vicinity of the settlements of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher of the Hadrut region, which was suppressed by the actions of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” Muradov said.
The Lieutenant General stressed that at present “the situation in this area has returned to normal.” Russian peacekeepers are constantly monitoring the situation and keep in contact with representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides, Muradov added.
On the eve of the Russian Defense Ministry reported the first case of violation of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier on Saturday, the Armenian Defense Ministry had announced the start of offensive actions of the Azerbaijani army in the direction of the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the south of Karabakh.
As of Sunday the ceasefire is again observed in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian Defense Ministry says.
Fighting returns to Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan claims some Armenian troops broke terms of armistice by remaining in region
RT – Russia Today
Dec 13 2020
13 Dec, 2020 17:19
Nagorno-Karabakh is in danger of flaring up again after Azerbaijan claimed it had carried out an operation in the disputed region on Saturday. Baku claims Armenian soldiers remained in the area in violation of last month’s truce.
According to the Azerbaijani side, some Armenian troops refused to cooperate with the terms of the armistice, and had stayed put in forests near the village of Hadrut. In response, Baku says that they were forced to take retaliatory measures.
“After the signing of the November 10 joint statement on a ceasefire, Armenian armed units remained in the forests to the northwest of the Hadrut village,” a statement from the Defense Ministry said. “The Armenian side requested the assistance of the command of Russia’s peacekeeping contingent in order to withdraw these units.”
Baku claims it “created all conditions for withdrawing Armenian units,” allowing the Russians to escort the remaining Armenian troops out of the region. However, they refused to leave, and a small shootout started between the two armies. A firefight began, leaving four Azeri soldiers dead.
Also on rt.com After reports of fresh fighting, Russian peacekeepers tell Armenia & Azerbaijan to observe agreed truce in Nagorno-Karabakh
In response, the Armenian Defense Ministry accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire. Yerevan reported that six of its servicemen were wounded in the firefight. The Defense Ministry of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also blamed the Azeris, announcing that “the enemy attempted to attack the combat positions.”
Since the armistice that was agreed on in November, Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the area to stop any further escalation between the two parties. On Saturday, Moscow confirmed the ceasefire had been violated.
On November 9, the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan adopted a trilateral agreement on the cessation of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the time the truce was signed, Azerbaijan was at a clear advantage. In Russian President Vladimir Putin’s opinion, Yerevan’s refusal to agree to stop the hostilities would have been “suicide.” According to Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister, Yerevan had no choice but to sign the document, as the country’s resources were quickly becoming depleted.
WW3 fears surge as Azerbaijan ramps up its military drones to DESTROY Armenian troops
Express, UK
Dec 13 2020
Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed territory in the South Caucasus and is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. In September, conflict in the area resumed along the Line of Actual Control between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces.
On Saturday, Armenian officials and Azerbaijan accused each other of breaching a peace deal that ended six weeks of fierce clashes over the disputed area.
Azerbaijan’s leader issued a deadly threat to crush Armenian forces with an “iron fist”.
According to Asia Times, Azerbaijani forces took out 241 Armenian main battle tanks, 50 BMD infantry fighting vehicles along with several other military weapons and vehicles during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The media platform said the most surprising result of the conflict was the destruction of Armenian air defences.
More than four air defence systems were destroyed along with three tracked air defence missile systems.
This resulted in nearly all of Armenia’s air defence systems being obliterated leaving them with only hand-held air defences.
Separatist officials in the disputed area said the Azerbaijani forces began another attack late on Friday leaving three local ethnic Armenian servicemen wounded.
Russian peacekeepers deployed to the area said a violation of the ceasefire in the Gadrut region took place on Friday.
The Russian defence ministry’s report on the incident was released on Saturday but did not lay blame on a particular side.
The Armenian defence ministry also said the Azerbaijani army had launched an attack on Saturday.
Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s president, blamed Armenia for the new clashes and reacted by threatening to “break its head with an iron first”.
During a meeting with diplomats from the US and France, Mr Aliyev added: “Armenia shouldn’t try to start it all over again.
“It must be very cautious and not plan any military action.
“This time, we will fully destroy them. It mustn’t be a secret to anyone.”
In a statement, Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said that its forces foiled Armenia’s “provocations” and restored the ceasefire.
Nagorno-Karabakh had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the war ended in 1994.
During the conflict in September which left more than 5,600 people dead from both sides, Azerbaijani forces pushed into Nagorno-Karabakh which forced Armenia to accept a peace deal.
The deal saw Azerbaijan reclaim large parts of the separatist region.
On Thursday, Azerbaijan marked its victory with a military parade attended by the Turkish president.
The event involved more than 3,000 troops, dozens of military vehicles and combat aircrafts.
The peace deal triggered protests in Armenia calling for the resignation of the country’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan.