Nagorno-Karabakh: Russia accuses Azerbaijan of breaking ceasefire in conflict with Armenia
Moscow on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating a ceasefire agreement by entering the Russian peacekeeping mission’s zone in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the first time Russia publicly assigned the blame for violating the 2020 deal made after Azerbaijan’s war with Armenia.
The Russian defense ministry also accused Azerbaijani troops of using Turkish-made drones to strike Karabakh troops, while the foreign ministry in Moscow expressed “extreme concern” over the spiraling tensions in the region.
The defense ministry in Baku said it “regretted the one-sided statement of Russia’s defense ministry, which does not reflect the truth,” adding that “Azerbaijan didn’t violate a single provision” of the ceasefire agreement.
The two countries’ defense ministers had discussed the situation in the enclave and the “Azerbaijani side stated that it is clarifying the positions and deployment locations of its armed forces” on the ground, the Azerbaijani ministry said, accusing Armenia of “an attempted provocation” and failure to withdraw troops from Karabakh.