Russian forces that have been stationed as peacekeepers in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region since the end of the war in 2020 are being withdrawn, officials from both countries confirmed. The reason for the withdrawal was not specified, but it appears that their presence had become unnecessary after Azerbaijan regained full control of the region following the war. The Karabakh region had been under the control of ethnic Armenians until the war in 2020, which resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control of parts of the region. A Russia-brokered ceasefire ended the war and called for the placement of about 2,000 peacekeeping troops in the parts of Karabakh still held by Armenians to ensure free passage on the sole road connecting Karabakh with Armenia.
Azerbaijan began blocking the road in late 2022, accusing Armenians of using it for weapons shipments and smuggling minerals, and Russian forces did not intervene. This led to increasingly dire food and medicine shortages in Karabakh due to the blockade. In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a swift blitz that forced the Karabakh Armenian authorities to surrender after one day of negotiations mediated by Russian forces. As a result, almost all of Karabakh’s 50,000 ethnic Armenian residents fled the region within days.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed reports of the Russian forces’ withdrawal but did not provide further details. Hikmet Hajiyev, the head of foreign policy in Azerbaijan’s presidential administration, also confirmed the withdrawal, stating that it was agreed upon by both countries. The decision to withdraw the forces comes after Azerbaijan regained control of the Karabakh region, rendering the presence of peacekeepers unnecessary.
After the war in 2020, Russia brokered a ceasefire that mandated the deployment of peacekeeping troops to ensure free passage on the road connecting Karabakh with Armenia. However, Azerbaijan began to block the road in late 2022, claiming that Armenians were using it for illicit activities. The lack of intervention by Russian forces in response to Azerbaijan’s actions further complicated the situation in the region, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis due to food and medicine shortages.
The swift blitz launched by Azerbaijan in September 2023 further escalated tensions in the region, resulting in the capitulation of Karabakh Armenian authorities. As a result, almost all of Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian residents fled the region within days. The withdrawal of Russian forces from Karabakh signals the end of their peacekeeping mission in the region, as Azerbaijan has regained full control and the need for their presence is no longer required. Both countries have agreed to the withdrawal, marking a new chapter in the complex dynamics of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Karabakh region.
