July 6, 2026
in the aviation units of the Air Force of Azerbaijan were held training flights.
In particular, flights were carried out by JF-17C (Block III), L-39, Su-25ML and Su-25 aircraft.
During the exercise, the pilots made individual and group flights, improving the skills of interaction in the airspace, the implementation of routine combat tasks and tactical maneuvers, target detection and destruction, and making the right decisions in special situations.
At the same time, attention was paid to the accurate and safe performance of tasks in different meteorological and tactical conditions, improvement of combat capabilities of aviation equipment.
Let’s remind that JF-17C fighters Azerbaijan has acquired From Pakistan.
And on October 20, 2025, in the analysis of one of the Azerbaijani media, it was noted that taking into account the strategic relations between Pakistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey, it is possible that the Turkish air-to-air Gökdoğan and Bozdoğan missiles, which are still under evaluation, will be integrated into the fighters in the future.
168.amthe had written that the 2020 war marked the beginning of the Turkey-Azerbaijan-Pakistan geopolitical project, which later had confirmed Prime Minister of Pakistan. However, as we have noticed, Pakistan took part in the 44-day war of 2020 based on its relations with Turkey, and only after the 44-day war, Azerbaijan-Pakistan bilateral strategic relations were established.
By the way, today to the President of RA by decree Karen Grigoryan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the United Arab Emirates, has been appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (residence: Abu Dhabi). But we will address the political and military-political side of this separately.
Let’s go back to the Azerbaijani military exercise and add that L-39 czech is a production aircraft, the Su-25 is a Russian attack aircraft, and the Su-25ML is its upgraded version.
Earlier we wrote, that Azerbaijan is modernizing the Su-25s in its arsenal with the help of leading Turkish defense companies. Moreover, we have informed, that the Azerbaijani attackers were armed with Turkish SOM ŞAHİN cruise missiles, the flight range of which is more than 250 km.
Are the Su-25s in the arsenal of the RA army modernized? The answer is in the footage related to the May 28 military parade.
In this context, let us remind that on August 24, 2020, the Ministry of Defense to report was that a contract for the modernization and repair of the Su-25 was signed between the RA Defense Ministry and the United Aircraft Construction Company of Russia.
We have repeatedly tried to get information about this contract and the modernization of Su-25s from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, but they refused, referring to the legal regulations on state and military secrets.
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The “deadly weapon” of sophists – ISKANDER. The fight against Pashinyan must be based on knowledge
July 6, 2026
Weeks ago, Nikol Pashinyan, in order to justify his next unrestrained speech, said that he is a “passionate orator”.
I think many people mocked and joked about this topic, focusing on the word “passionate”, behind which Pashinyan’s confession was forgotten. he is really an orator, a good orator, who seized power in 2018 with his own words, and now one of the three main pillars that hold it is his word (I will not touch on the other two – repression and foreign support – A.A.).
Yes, Nicol is an orator, but in the ordinary, classical sense, he is of the most dangerous, most destructive school of orators; he is a sophist.
In our everyday life, we use the word, usually with a serious face, to describe people who iron their heads or who airlift.
In fact, it is not an innocent trait of self-righteous people. History knows many cases when sophists destroyed states, and Armenia is not the only one.
The leitmotif of my article is not a review or a theoretical analysis. I think the opposition is still losing to Pashinyan because it does not comprehensively analyze and systematically approach this issue. In short, the struggle of the opposition should be more “knowledge-based”, because in fact Nikol is a phenomenon that has its own methodology.
Let’s try to give the main descriptions using historical facts.
In ancient Greece, the conflict between Athens and Sparta ended with Sparta’s victory because of the sophists who held power in Athens. It was they who began to create a climate in Athens, and one of them, Alcibiades, who was the ruler and most influential orator, persuaded the city to send an unprecedentedly large fleet to Sicily, which ended in disaster for Athens.
The ancient Greeks knew well the power of speech, which became more important in the case of the Athenian polis democracy, the mechanism of which, if simplified, was the following: who would convince whom and how.
It was here that his perverted and manipulative type, sophistry, was mixed into sound and traditional rhetoric. If until then language and speech served to describe reality, then the sophists began to improve, using speech to distort reality. Sophists have perfected convincingly proving what is not true (Nicole, listen to AA).
As knowledge no longer prevailed, truth came under attack. Sophists turned political debates into who-who-disgusted-who-who-disgusted-principles, rather than the search for truth.
The sophists said that it was not important to master the subject or to be knowledgeable about the matter. It’s important to be able to talk about the topic (Nicole’s ear calls again).
Another important observation. if in science the facts are undeniable and unchanging phenomena, then in sophistic rhetoric any fact is deniable, so it is no longer a fact (I imagine how Nicole’s ears are responding now, – AA).
This is the “deadly weapon” of the sophists, ISKANDER. The blatant denial of facts violates the stability and balance of reality, destroys the environment surrounding people.
Another secret trick of sophists is to emphasize “values” and emotions in speech. And this is logical. denying the facts, they destroy the reality, which they fill with their emotions (as Pashinyan would say, with “passions”, A.A.).
Unlike facts, “values” and emotions are not immutable characteristics of reality, they do not contain information about the world, but express our subjective attitude towards the world…
However…
After the destruction of facts, the sophists’ “values” and emotions become guiding, determining, and creating the illusion of stability.
It is difficult to pretend to describe the problem in more detail with one article, that is from a prison cell, so in the next publications I will try to address the question (very important, – AA) of how the ancient Greeks fought against the tricks of corrosive sophists.
To be continued…
ARMEN ASHOTIAN
Vice President of RPA
“Vardashen” Prison
04.07.2026
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Yekaterinburg coldness. Why did Moscow refuse “fraternal” rhetoric?
July 6, 2026
Today, Nikol Pashinyan visited the Russian Federation, specifically Yekaterinburg, where he participated in the 16th International Industrial Exhibition “Innoprom”. This visit is particularly noteworthy in that it is Nikol Pashinyan’s first trip to the Russian Federation after the elections in Armenia.
It is taking place against the background of apparent coldness in bilateral relations and open political criticism from Moscow. The complexity of the situation is also evidenced by the fact that the Kremlin has not yet officially congratulated Pashinyan on his victory in the elections, which is an indication of a clear political stance and dissatisfaction.
At the same time, the visit takes place in the context of indirect economic restrictions applied to Armenia, which adds additional tension to the bilateral agenda. Perhaps, Pashinyan’s participation in the “Innoprom” industrial exhibition is an attempt to use the economic platform to smooth political sharp corners and demonstrate the will to unbreak economic ties with Russia, even when the political dialogue is in crisis. His call to Mishustin the other day before this visit was a similar experience, during which a number of issues on the bilateral agenda were discussed. This is also a unique circumstance in Armenian-Russian relations, because Pashinyan usually communicates with the Russian president, but due to some reasons, Pashinyan had to contact Mishustin.
However, a bilateral meeting between Mishustin and Pashinyan took place within the framework of the “Innoprom” exhibition. At the beginning of the meeting, Mishustin emphasized that this is Pashinyan’s first foreign visit after the elections, and Russia is looking forward to the development of relations with the new government formed after the elections. “Moscow expects further development of Russian-Armenian relations in the spirit of friendship, neighborliness, mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests,” Mishustin said. He also emphasized that it is important that the Armenian government continues to create a comfortable environment for Russian investors. According to him, Moscow expects that their rights and legal interests will be respected.
For his part, Pashinyan said that both before and after the elections, they are committed to the further development of relations with Russia. “And, of course, we are interested in our participation in the EAEU and ensuring that the mechanisms provided for in the EAEU agreement work as intended. I think that this is in the interests of the further development of EAEU,” said Pashinyan. According to him, some problematic points have appeared recently, and I hope that we will discuss and solve them.
He emphasized that Armenia is constructively committed to discussing and clarifying all issues and nuances. “I hope that as a result of today’s negotiations, we will be able to solve specific issues,” he expressed confidence.
It is noteworthy that, despite the bilateral assurances, Mishustin’s attitude and the tone of his statements at the meeting with Pashinyan were quite restrained, if not to say, markedly official. The Russian side avoided warm wording, emphasis on traditional alliance closeness, or friendly personal remarks usually characteristic of such high-level meetings. Instead, Mishustin’s speech was dominated by dry diplomatic statements and direct references to the protection of the interests of Russian capital, which proves once again that Moscow now prefers to talk to Yerevan not from an emotional or “fraternal” but from a strictly pragmatic position.
This pronounced coldness and official dryness were especially noticeable against the background of another meeting of the Russian Prime Minister on the same day. In the conversation with his colleague from Belarus, Mishustin had a completely different attitude. he did not hide his affection, emphasized how happy he was to welcome the Belarusian Prime Minister and his “friends” in Yekaterinburg, and personally conveyed wishes to the President of Belarus on behalf of himself and Vladimir Putin, and then heartily congratulated him on the Independence Day of Belarus. The allied atmosphere was completely absent from the Armenian-Russian negotiation table.
This difference in communication style and emphasis is extremely telling. Of course, relations between Moscow and Minsk are unique in nature, but the strategic alliance between Armenia and Russia has not been canceled on paper. Simply, this meeting proved once again that the former “spirit” of those relations no longer exists. Moscow does not speak to Yerevan with traditional warmth. And this visit of Pashinyan, as a matter of fact, marked the beginning of a new, highly pragmatic, cold and clarification phase of mutual demands in Armenian-Russian relations.
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Aliyev is “purifying” himself. why did Baku remember Manvel Grigoryan, who will he be?
July 6, 2026
“Aliyev’s offer to RA citizens and Pashinyan’s answer: “the question of giving a legal assessment of the “genocide” against Azerbaijanis is more than relevant” article: we are published on July 4, where we raised a number of alarms.
A day after that, the Baku propaganda machine remembered Manvel Grigoryan, noting that although the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is over, the peace process is being pushed forward, there are initialed and signed Washington documents, but the First War and its consequences do not give rest, especially when, according to Baku, they have 4,000 missing persons.
“Mass graves of both civilians and prisoners of war are regularly found in the “liberated” areas. In February 2021, a mass grave with the remains of seven people was found in the village of Dashalt (Under the Stone: – M.P.), and the following year in Edillu (Ukhtadzor, the name of General Manvel Grigoryan is also associated with this defense.- M.P.).
Hikmet Hajiyev, the assistant to the president of Azerbaijan, said at the time that it contained the bodies of Azerbaijani servicemen, who, supposedly, “were executed by the Armenian separatist forces during the war of the 1990s” (quotes: M.P.).
In the same year, a mass grave in the village of Sarjal (Akna section: – MP). According to the authorities, there were remains of people killed and buried in 1992. And this is not the complete list,” minval.az wrote, and it is in this context that the Azerbaijani propaganda machine mentions the name of Manvel Grigoryan, claiming that he “kept Azerbaijani captives in his house as a slave”, one of whom, of course, was released.
“But the most important thing is that Armenia still exists. The very Armenia, where Azerbaijani prisoners and hostages were also kept, and where access to the relevant Azerbaijani agencies was closed, for obvious reasons,” claims a country that is currently holding Armenian prisoners and hostages, including the former military-political leadership of Artsakh, or this is a country where Armenian prisoners were killed in captivity long ago from the First War, who, by the way, were kidnapped, etc.
It is another matter that the current authorities of Armenia do not want to speak about this, but this does not “darken” Aliyev’s memory, nor does the struggle against Armenia go aside. Today, more than ever, Baku must divert the attention of the international community from its war crimes, justify the expulsion of the Red Cross from Baku.
The problem is that today they can remember Manvel Grigoryan, who is not alive, and tomorrow they can remember another freedom fighter and commander who is alive.
By the way, one of the “victims” sent to the court during the “trial” in Baku, named Rauf Gafarov, is similar was a testimony gave Against former NKR Defense Minister Samvel Babayan.
In particular, he claimed that “in April 1994, in Varanda, Fizuli region, he was captured and was returned only on May 10, 1996, and during that time, allegedly, he and about 25 Azerbaijanis were forcibly involved in the construction of Samvel Babayan’s house.”
Whether there will be a return to Samvel Babayan in this regard, time will tell, but one thing is clear: they will remember the Armenian freedom fighters and commanders who are on the Azeri target on different occasions and try to update their “file” or use what they already have in order to solve some internal and external problems.
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168: Malatia-Sebastia’s nightmare returns. who will replace Romik Mkhitarya?
July 6, 2026
A few days ago, the press wrote that the heads of Yerevan’s administrative districts are expected to change, and all those district heads who did not achieve results in their communities due to the struggle for CP, will say goodbye to their positions.
168.amAccording to the information, Romik Mkhitaryan, a member of the Communist Party of Ukraine, who became the district head of the Malatia-Sebastia administrative district, Aram Zaven Sargsyan, who became the district head with the quota of the “Republic” party, will also leave his post.
There are panicky moods in the staff of the administrative region. there are persistent rumors that the next leader of Malatia-Sebastia will be the former district head of the same district Sasha Katvalyan, whose tenure as the head of the community is still remembered with horror by the employees.
Sasha Katvalyan is from Tigran Avinyan’s entourage, he also has close relations with Defense Minister Suren Papikyan. He from work released 2022 On October 24, after a fatal Facebook post for him, however, he did not stay idle. He was first appointed Tigran Avinyan’s adviser, then got fired 2023 in November, then about 2 months later, in 2024. in January was appointed In the position of director of “YEREVAN WASTE AND SANITARY CLEANING” institution.
Employees of Malatia-Sebastia remember very well what happened in 2022. after March 2, when Sasha Katvalyan was appointed as the head of the Malatia-Sebastia community. Within about a month he was such personnel massacre implemented in the staff that, according to the ancient residents, they had never seen or heard anything like this.
Later, former employees of the district administration 168.amThey told them only one sentence was said during dismissal: we cannot work together.
According to them, Sasha Katvalyan has filled the district administration with his own people, including those who are at the center of the scandal.
Ancient inhabitants of the administrative region mentioned They have worked with 20 different district heads: luminary Vahan Zatikyan, Davit Ohanyan, Artak Aleksanyan, Davit Karapetyan, but they have not seen such inhuman leadership as Sasha Katvalyan and his staff.
And now, in fact, the nightmare is returning. Sasha Katvalyan will be reappointed as the head of the Malatia-Sebastia Administrative Region.
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RFE/RL – Russian, Armenian PMs Meet Amid Tensions
Amid heightened tensions between Moscow and Yerevan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met with his Russian counterpart Mikahil Mishustin on Monday on the sidelines of an international trade exhibition in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
Underlining those tensions, Mishustin mentioned the parliamentary elections held in Armenia last month but pointedly declined to congratulate Pashinian on winning them, according to their official results.
“Your visit to Russia is your first foreign trip since the June 7 elections in Armenia,” he said in his opening remarks at the talks. “We hope that the new [Armenian] government, which will be formed following the voting and elections, will ensure the progressive development of Russian-Armenian relations in the spirit of friendship, good neighborliness, mutual respect, and consideration of each other’s interests.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has still not congratulated Pashinian on his victory not recognized by the Armenian opposition. Nor has Putin spoken with him by phone after the elections which Russian officials have described as deeply flawed.
Pashinian mentioned in Yekaterinburg “problematic issues” in Russian-Armenian relations that “have emerged lately,” clearly alluding to Moscow’s trade restrictions imposed on Armenia and vocal criticism of his continuing drift towards the European Union.
“I hope we will discuss and resolve these issues,” he told Mishutin.
Neither side reported any agreements right after the talks. Following two European summits hosted by the Armenian government in early May, Russian authorities essentially banned multimillion-dollar imports of Armenian agricultural products and beverages on supposedly sanitary grounds.
Putin and other Russian leaders have been pressing Yerevan to quickly choose between continuing its pursuit of EU membership and remaining part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led trade bloc. The presidents of the three other EEU member states — Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan — added their voice to this demand in a joint statement with Putin issued at a May 29 summit boycotted by Pashinian.
Pashinian reiterated that his government will carry on with its pro-European policy when he met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Yerevan last week. Von der Leyen said after their talks that the South Caucasus nation will receive more EU aid to deal with Moscow’s “economic coercion.”
Pashinian told Mishustin that Yerevan remains “interested” in its membership in the EEU. But he also seemed to repeat his implicit claims that the Russian sanctions run counter to the bloc’s founding treaty. In their joint statement, Putin and the other EEU leaders warned of a possible suspension of the membership vital for the Armenian economy.
Mishustin stressed on Monday that Russia remains Armenia’s number one trading partner and foreign investor.
“It is important that the Armenian government continue to create the most comfortable environment possible for Russian investors and ensure that their rights and legitimate interests are respected,” he told Pashinian.
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Armenian Opposition To Take Up Parliament Seats
Armenia’s two leading opposition groups have decided to take up their seats in the country’s new parliament despite rejecting as fraudulent the official results of the June 7 elections that gave victory to the ruling Civil Contract party.
The results showed billionaire Samvel Karapetian’s Strong Armenia alliance and the Hayastan bloc led by former President Robert Kocharian finishing second and third in the elections and winning 29 and 12 seats respectively. According to them, no other opposition force cleared the 4 percent vote threshold for entering the 105-member National Assembly.
Strong Armenia and Hayastan faced calls from many opposition supporters to boycott the parliament and thus further undermine its legitimacy. Their leaders opted against a boycott in widely anticipated decisions announced on Sunday and Monday.
“We believe that in the upcoming difficult struggle, we must use all possible means to combat the government’s anti-state programs. The parliament seat is a weapon, and voluntarily giving it up would be irresponsible towards our state and our voters,” read a statement released by Hayastan.
For his part, Karapetian’s nephew Narek, who coordinates Strong Armenia’s activities, argued that opposition presence in the parliament would facilitate antigovernment street protests which he said will be staged “when we see a possibility of change approaching.”
“For significant change to occur in Armenia, two important things are needed: street struggle and strong opposition involvement in the National Assembly,” he said. “This combination will bring about significant change.”
Narek Karapetian also stressed that Strong Armenia does not recognize the legitimacy of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s election victory despite taking up its parliament seats.
Strong Armenia again alleged “mass vote irregularities” in a joint statement with Hayastan and three other opposition parties issued on Saturday a few hours after the Constitutional Court rejected opposition appeals against the official election results. It said that the ruling will only deepen the “profound political and constitutional crisis” in the country.
“This decision of the Constitutional Court is not the end of the struggle but the beginning of a new, more systematic, institutional and large-scale phase of political resistance,” added the joint statement.
Its five signatories agreed on the need to thwart Pashinian’s plans to enact a new Armenian constitution demanded by Azerbaijan, ensure the release of all “political prisoners” and remove him from power. They said they are continuing to negotiate on a plan of joint actions to that end.
Pashinian and his political allies deny the vote-rigging claims. They say that the main opposition election contenders themselves secured hundreds of thousands of votes through vote bribes.
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RFE/RL – Tsarukian Arrested After Raids On Home, Businesses
- Shoghik Galstian
Armenian law-enforcement authorities arrested opposition leader Gagik Tsarukian on Monday after searching his home and the offices of his key companies in mass raids linked by his aides to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s pledges to “dispossess” his main political foes.
The Investigative Committee said more than 70 locations were raided simultaneously as part of over a dozen criminal cases opened by it.
Investigators, among them masked officers of the National Security Service (NSS) carrying assault rifles, began searching Tsarukian’s hilltop mansion just north of Yerevan early in the morning. Tsarukian was taken into custody and charged with fraud and money laundering after the search that lasted for almost 12 hours.
In a statement, the Investigative Committee claimed that Tsarukian led a “criminal group” that misappropriated $22 million worth of fuel, transport equipment and other goods supplied by his Iranian business partners from 2022-2024. One of his lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, dismissed the accusation as “ridiculous and absurd,” saying that his client himself was defrauded by the Iranians and alerted the law-enforcement authorities about that.
The committee did not give clear reasons for searches conducted by it jointly with the NSS, the police and the State Revenue Committee at the dozens of companies making up Tsarukian’s Multi Group conglomerate. The law-enforcement agencies sealed off the offices of the most important of those firms, meaning that their operations were indefinitely halted.
They included Armenia’s largest cement plant, a major brandy distillery, as well as sports and entertainment facilities. Thousands of their workers were reportedly sent home as a result. Those companies were audited by tax officials last month.
Artyom Poghosian, the acting director of the cement plant located in the southern town of Ararat, said that law-enforcement officers sealed off its office building despite not confiscating anything during the search.
“They have paralyzed the work of the plant employing more than 1,000 people,” he told Tsarukian’s Kentron TV channel.
Tsarukian’s spokeswoman, Iveta Tonoyan, said that the security forces also seized the offices of a nearby Multi Group quarry, the Ararat distillery and even the headquarters of the Armenian National Olympic Committee headed by Tsarukian.
“This is an international disgrace,” she told journalists. “It will damage Armenia’s international reputation because there has been no precedent in the civilized world for the suspension of the activities of a national Olympic committee and the sealing of its administrative building.”
Pashinian pledged to nationalize the cement plant when he campaigned for the June 7 parliamentary elections in which Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) was one of the main opposition contenders. He has since repeatedly pledged to imprison and “dispossess” Tsarukian as well as the leaders of two other key opposition groups.
Tsarukian was charged with “larges-scale” tax evasion and banned from leaving the country on June 9 just as the BHK accused the Central Election Commission (CEC) of illegally barring it from the new Armenian parliament. Two weeks later, prosecutors asked the CEC for permission to bring another criminal charge against the tycoon. They did not disclose it until Monday.
Tonoyan condemned the latest raids as politically motivated. She said security forces are acting on Pashinian’s illegal orders.
“We all understand that this process, the threats of physical, economic and political reprisals intensified active during the pre-election period,” added the BHK leader’s spokeswoman.
The clearly demonstrative searches coincided with Pashinian’s visit to the Russian city of Yekaterinburg where he attended an economic forum and also met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Russia’s de facto ban on agricultural imports from Armenia imposed in the run-up to the elections was expected to be a key focus of the talks.
Tsarukian blamed Pashinian for the sanctions during the election campaign, saying that they are the result of Yerevan’s pro-Western foreign policy seen by the BHK and other opposition forces as reckless. Moscow has criticized the ensuing crackdown on the tycoon known for his pro-Russian views.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president heading the ruling United Russia party, deplored on June 28 the new criminal proceedings launched against him. Medvedev they herald a “new round of repression against opposition representatives at odds with the ruling elite.”
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Unmanned Arms Race: The Integration Of Drone Warfare In The South Caucasus – A
By Geopolitical Monitor
By Turan Darishov
Key Takeaways
- Drones Transformed Regional Warfare — The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War marked the first major conflict where drones played a decisive role. Azerbaijan’s use of Turkish and Israeli UAVs demonstrated their effectiveness against conventional forces, setting a precedent for modern drone warfare.
- Azerbaijan Leads, Armenia Catches Up, Georgia Lags — Azerbaijan is the clear frontrunner with domestic production, dedicated Unmanned Systems Troops, and diversified procurement. Armenia is rapidly modernizing its drone capabilities after its 2020 defeat. Georgia is falling significantly behind despite limited local initiatives.
- Ongoing Military Modernization — All three South Caucasus states are investing more in unmanned systems (aerial and ground), reflecting lessons from Ukraine and the 2020 war. Azerbaijan and Armenia have substantially increased defense spending, while Georgia’s efforts remain modest.
Analysis
The military use of unmanned aerial vehicles dates back decades, with early reconnaissance drones already appearing during the Vietnam War and later conflicts. However, drones only began being used widely during the war in Afghanistan, where the United States relied heavily on UAVs for surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and targeted strikes against enemy targets. The conflict demonstrated the value of persistent aerial monitoring and precision remote strikes, gradually normalizing the use of unmanned systems in modern warfare. In Afghanistan, drones were also increasingly used for logistics support, infrastructure monitoring, and broader military coordination, further expanding their battlefield role.
The use of drones leaped even further during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which became the first major interstate conflict where unmanned systems played a central battlefield role. Azerbaijan’s extensive use of Turkish Bayraktar TB-2 drones, Israeli loitering munitions, and reconnaissance UAVs demonstrated how deadly drones can be against armored vehicles, artillery systems, and air defenses. This conflict sealed UAVs as a vital part of the modern battlefield rather than supplementary assets.
In the Ukraine war, both sides increasingly relied on drones for reconnaissance, artillery adjustment, long-range strikes, logistics disruption, and direct attacks against armored vehicles and personnel. The conflict eventually accelerated the rapid evolution of FPV drones, loitering munitions, naval drones, and AI-assisted systems. The scale of drone usage and the unprecedented damage inflicted by relatively cheap unmanned systems fundamentally changed global military discussions about the future of warfare itself.
Regional Insecurity and Unmanned Systems in the South Caucasus
The South Caucasus occupies a particularly important place in the evolution of modern drone warfare. The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War became the first conflict where unmanned systems were systematically integrated to overwhelm and defeat a capable conventional force.
Although the region has not witnessed large-scale armed conflict since Azerbaijan’s 2023 operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the South Caucasus still retains a noticeable degree of geopolitical instability. More than 20% of Georgia’s territory remains occupied by Russia following the 2008 war, while relations between the two countries continue to be tense. Armenia’s relations with Russia have also become increasingly strained in recent years as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gradually expanded cooperation with the European Union and the United States. In addition, the Iran war introduced another layer of regional tension, with Azerbaijan briefly becoming involved after an alleged Iranian drone hit an Azerbaijani airport in Nakhchivan. Even though direct military confrontation remains unlikely in the near future, these security concerns continue to encourage South Caucasus states to modernize their armed forces and further explore the military potential of unmanned systems.
Azerbaijan: Drone Pioneer and Expanding Military Hegemon
Azerbaijan remains the most advanced and institutionally developed drone operator in the South Caucasus. The country continues actively expanding its unmanned warfare capabilities through both procurement and domestic development efforts. In recent years, Azerbaijan adopted several new drone systems into service, including domestically produced UAVs such as the “İti Qovan.” Azerbaijan’s leading defense producer “Azersilah” is also actively involved in UAV design and production efforts. Alongside local production initiatives, Azerbaijan continues operating a diverse fleet of Turkish and Israeli unmanned systems, including Bayraktar TB-2 and Akıncı drones, while also showing interest in acquiring additional advanced UAV platforms in the future. The country also established dedicated training and maintenance facilities for Akıncı drones. The military cooperation framework established with Türkiye under the 2021 Shusha Declaration further strengthened cooperation in defense technologies, training, and military-industrial development.
Azerbaijan also increasingly seeks to deepen cooperation with Turkish defense companies beyond simple procurement by exploring possibilities for joint drone production and broader defense-industrial collaboration with Baykar. In recent years, both sides signed cooperation agreements and memorandums regarding technology exchange, industrial cooperation, and potential localized production of Baykar systems in Azerbaijan, signaling Baku’s long-term interest in developing more sustainable domestic unmanned systems production.
One of the most important developments, which received little international attention, was the formal establishment of dedicated Unmanned Systems Troops within the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The experience of Ukraine demonstrated that such an institutionalization of unmanned forces allows for better coordination and battlefield results. The commander of the newly established forces, Colonel Adam Huseynov, is known to have received high-level military decorations following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Although Azerbaijani authorities have not officially clarified the exact location of the Unmanned Systems Troops within the broader military structure, the sequence of units presented during the 2025 military parade suggests that the new forces are likely integrated into the Azerbaijani Air Force structure.
Azerbaijan’s expanding drone capabilities are also supported by steadily increasing military expenditure. The country’s defense budget grew from approximately $2.24 billion in 2020 to a planned $5.1 billion in 2026, reflecting Baku’s continued emphasis on military modernization and technological development.
Armenia: Adapting to the Lessons of Defeat
Armenia’s approach to drone warfare and unmanned systems modernization is heavily shaped by the lessons of its military defeat during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, where Azerbaijani drones inflicted devastating damage on Armenian units and exposed major weaknesses in Armenia’s armed force structure. Since then, Yerevan has accelerated military modernization efforts with a strong emphasis on unmanned systems. This shift was clearly visible during the 28 May 2026 military parade, where Armenia showcased a wide variety of modern UAVs and unmanned systems ranging from small reconnaissance drones to larger strike-capable platforms. Among the systems displayed were reconnaissance and attack drones such as the UL350 and Storm-320. Armenia also showcased Chinese-made CH-4 strike drones equipped with precision-guided munitions, Iranian AD-08 Majid short-range air defense systems, and domestically produced drones such as the AW5R and Krunk-25.
One of the most interesting developments was Armenia’s demonstration of ground-based robots known as “Gail” (“wolf”). Similar unmanned ground systems have increasingly attracted attention following their use in Ukraine, where they were employed for logistics, reconnaissance, casualty evacuation, and even direct combat support missions. However, effective use of such systems requires strong communications infrastructure, coordination capabilities, maintenance networks, and institutional adaptation — areas where Armenia still faces important challenges. Nevertheless, the decision to integrate UGVs into military modernization efforts demonstrates Armenia’s growing awareness of broader unmanned warfare trends extending beyond aerial drones alone.
Another major post-2020 development was the establishment of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Directorate within the Armenian Armed Forces in 2024. The creation of a specialized UAV command structure demonstrates that Armenia increasingly views unmanned warfare as a strategically crucial military sphere. Armenian officials have repeatedly referenced the lessons of Ukraine as highly important for Armenia’s future military development, while simultaneously continuing active drone-related cooperation with a variety of foreign partners.
Armenia’s military procurement strategy also underwent significant diversification following 2020. While Russia previously dominated Armenian arms imports, Yerevan increasingly expanded defense cooperation with countries such as India, France, China, Iran, and the United States, while still maintaining certain Russian military ties. The purchase of Chinese strike drones and American-made V-BAT reconnaissance UAV’s reflects Armenia’s broader attempt to avoid overdependence on a single supplier.
Armenia’s military modernization is also reflected in rapidly increasing defense expenditure. The country’s military budget increased from approximately $634 million in 2020 to around $1.44 billion in 2026, demonstrating the importance Yerevan places on rebuilding and modernizing its armed forces following the 2020 war.
Georgia: Falling Behind in Drone Warfare
Compared to Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia appears significantly less advanced in the integration of unmanned systems within its armed forces and is increasingly falling behind in this field. The country’s arguably only significant drone-related project is the cooperation between the Georgian defense company Delta and the Polish firm WB Technologies under the Delta WB initiative. The partnership focuses on local production of systems such as the FlyEye reconnaissance drone and the Warmate loitering munition. Georgian authorities announced plans for serial production of these systems in summer 2023, and the initiative initially attracted considerable attention as a potential step toward strengthening Georgia’s domestic military-industrial capabilities.
However, despite the ambitious plans, there have been no follow-up announcements regarding successful large-scale production or operational deployment. Unlike Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia also has not established dedicated unmanned systems forces or specialized drone branches within its military structure. The relatively modest scale of Georgia’s recent military parade raises further questions regarding the current pace of military modernization. During the 26 May 2026 Independence Day Parade, Georgia showcased very limited military equipment and did not publicly demonstrate drone systems, in contrast to Armenia and Azerbaijan where unmanned systems occupied a visible place in military presentations.
Recently, professor and political analyst Lasha Dzebisashvili sharply criticized the government for insufficient military funding, procurement problems, and the lack of meaningful development of domestic military production capabilities. Georgia’s prolonged political instability and polarization may also partially explain the weak pace of military reform and modernization in recent years. This situation is particularly important given Georgia’s geopolitical environment, where Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain occupied by Russia following the 2008 war, creating a long-term security challenge for the Georgian state.
Georgia’s military spending reflects a similarly cautious trajectory. While the defense budget increased from approximately $288 million in 2020 to around $662 million in 2026, military expenditure as a percentage of GDP declined during the same period. This differs noticeably from Armenia and Azerbaijan, both of which significantly expanded military spending and modernization efforts following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Looking Ahead
The South Caucasus remains one of the regions where the importance of unmanned systems is most visible. The experience of the Nagorno-Karabakh wars, followed by the lessons emerging from Ukraine, demonstrated to regional actors that drones are a crucial weapon in 21st century warfare. As a result, all three South Caucasus states show at least some level of interest in developing unmanned warfare capabilities, although the scale of implementation varies significantly.
Azerbaijan currently stands out as the clear regional leader in drone warfare integration due to its domestic production, diversified procurement, and creation of dedicated unmanned systems structures. Armenia, largely motivated by the lessons of defeat in 2020, is rapidly attempting to modernize and diversify its military capabilities with increased emphasis on drones. Georgia, despite possessing some domestic production initiatives, lags significantly in practical adaptation. Overall, it appears that drone adaptation will remain one of the most important military modernization trends in the South Caucasus in the coming years.
- This article was published by Geopolitical Monitor.com
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Armenian authorities raid residence and businesses of opposition figure Tsaruk
The Armenian authorities have launched searches in over 70 addresses associated with Gagik Tsarukyan, a tycoon and leader of the opposition Prosperous Armenia party.
Prosperous Armenia spokesperson Iveta Tonoyan has told reporters that the raids took place early Monday morning.
‘We are talking about more than a dozen enterprises, including the Ararat Cement plant [and] the Yerevan brandy-Wine-Vodka plant’, Tonoyan said, according to independent media outlet Civilnet. RFE/RL has cited Tonoyan as saying that over 70 addresses were raided.
The outlet has also reported that law enforcement also began searching Tsarukyan’s Multi Wellness Centre in Yerevan in the morning, and had asked customers to leave the gym.
According to RFE/RL, the Investigative Committee said the raids were being conducted in relation to ‘more than a dozen criminal proceedings’, and that they would issue an official statement on the matter at a later time.
Tsarukyan’s lawyer, Emin Khachatryan, told RFE/RL that the authorities attempted to bar Tsarukyan from entering his house, but that the tycoon was allowed inside after some time.
Tonoyan has also issued a statement saying the police were ‘acting on the instructions of [Prime Minister] Nikol Pashinyan’.
In late June, the authorities asked the Central Election Commission (CEC) to lift Tsarukyan’s parliamentary immunity, less than a month after running in the 7 June parliamentary elections.
Prosperous Armenia failed to enter parliament, falling just shy of reaching the 4% threshold needed to secure seats.
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