The Kremlin acknowledged this Thursday, 21, that Ivan Kovgan, deputy commander of the submarine forces of the Russian Northern Fleet, died in an attack by Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The operation, carried out on Wednesday, 20, killed another five Russian soldiers, threatening to create a problem for President Vladimir Putin’s troops, involved in intense fighting in Ukraine.
Russian soldiers command a peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region of 120,000 inhabitants that has been disputed by Azerbaijan and Armenia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Azerbaijanis seized parts of the territory after six weeks of fighting in 2020.
The ceasefire between the two sides has always been constantly disrupted by any border skirmish. Earlier this week, four police officers and two Azerbaijani civilians died in mine explosions, blamed on “Armenian terrorists”.
Attacks
The response was a military operation that, according to the Armenians, left 200 people dead. The attack led to the capitulation of the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mainly by Armenians, and sparked public revolt in Armenia.
The escalation of violence has raised concerns that a full-scale war in the region could resume between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The conflict between the two countries attracts the attention of powerful people in the region, including Russia, Israel and Turkey.
While the Turks and Israelis support Azerbaijan, Moscow – which helped the Armenians – took on a mediating role and brokered the 2020 armistice.
Today involved in the war in Ukraine, Russia seems to want to stay away from another conflict. Yesterday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said Azerbaijan was acting within its own territory. Putin was also cautious despite the deaths of Russian soldiers. “I hope we can resolve this issue through peaceful channels,” he said.
Protests
In Armenia, thousands of people protested yesterday on the streets of the capital Erivan against the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, called a traitor for not sending troops to help the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians accuse Azerbaijan of promoting ethnic cleansing in the region.
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