Kremlin is afraid to admit providing military-political assistance to Armenia

On October 14, 2020, I. Aliyev told the Turkish Haber Türk TV channel:

“During these two weeks more than 200 Armenian tanks were destroyed, 33 tanks were taken as trophies. That is, we have 233 Armenian tanks. Then two S-300 installations were destroyed. Everyone knows the cost of each one. In addition, the OSA-35 air defense systems were destroyed. "TOR", "CUBE", "KRUG", cargo vehicles, anti-tank weapons. If you count all this, then the cost of only destroyed and taken as trophies of equipment is estimated at 1-2 billion dollars. The question is, poor Armenia, where did you find this money. Did you pay money for it? No. They gave it to you. Everyone knows who gave it. They give and continue to give. After the clashes in the Tovuz region, on July 16, the conflict ended, and starting from July 17, cargo planes began delivering weapons to Armenia every day. Are these items in the budget of Armenia? No. Armenia's foreign exchange reserves amount to $ 1.5 billion. That is all. She has no more money. The external public debt of this country is approximately $ 8 billion. That is, this country has failed. Where does so much of destroyed equipment come from, so much technology that will still be destroyed? If the war continues, we will destroy their entire army, their entire army! Therefore, the sooner they end the war, the more they will be able to keep their tanks and guns. Russia has a military base in Armenia, and there are 5 thousand soldiers. Does Turkey have a military base in Azerbaijan? No. Armenia's border with Iran and Turkey is protected by Russian border guards. Are there Turkish border guards on the border of Azerbaijan? No. So let no one blame us. Otherwise, we will have to reveal all the hard-hitting moments,” said the head of state.

In an interview with the Spanish EFE agency, on November 5, I. Aliyev, commenting on the words of the Russian Foreign Minister about the mercenaries, said, he sincerely regrets "These high-ranking officials of countries that should be neutral to act on the basis of the mandate given to them by the OSCE" information that has found its confirmation.

Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan does not have any mercenaries. He also noted that there is not a single proof that any foreign fighter is fighting on the side of Azerbaijan. On November 5, the Kremlin spoke about the statements from Baku. Russia does not understand the emotional reaction of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about foreign mercenaries in Nagorno-Karabakh, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS. "To be honest, we do not quite understand the emotional reaction of the respected Ilham Heydarovich Aliyev to the comment of Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov," the agency's interlocutor said. "Maybe the presidential aides showed him someone else's material, or presented their own interpretation."

The source recalled an exact quote from an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the Kommersant newspaper on November 3: “We are, of course, worried about the internationalization of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the involvement of militants from the Middle East. We have repeatedly called on external players to use their capabilities to stop the transfer mercenaries, whose number in the conflict zone, according to available data, is approaching two thousand. The Russian President Vladimir Putin raised this question during a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 27; in regular contacts with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia we persistently continue to promote our position through various channels."

“As you can see, there are no reproaches in the commentary either against Azerbaijan or any other country,” the TASS interlocutor continued. “This is about our extreme concern about the entry of mercenary militants into the Transcaucasian region, with which the Russian Federation is directly adjacent. Our Azerbaijani friends should be more attentive when familiarizing with the primary sources. "

The interlocutor of the agency noted that Moscow has always approached its role as a mediator in a conflict that is very sensitive to Russia’s countries with the utmost care. "President Aliyev himself has repeatedly stated this. We reaffirm our commitment to promoting a peaceful, political and diplomatic settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. At the same time, we remain convinced that the penetration of mercenary militants into the Caucasus threatens the stability and security of all countries in the region, including Azerbaijan and Russia," the interlocutor summed up.

This statement draws attention to two important points. First: the applicant's anonymity. TASS is forced to quote an official who wished to remain anonymous. Second, an unknown representative of the Russian leadership draws the attention of official Baku to the fact that there is no direct reference to Azerbaijan in the quoted statement of Lavrov.

In the statement of the Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation Sergey Naryshkin about mercenaries in the Karabakh war, often quoted by the Armenian side, there is also no indication of Azerbaijani interest in the transit of foreigners for the war in Karabakh. Armenians lie when they say that Naryshkin blamed Azerbaijan.

The impression is that Moscow is being cautious in its relations with Azerbaijan. He does not dare to worsen Russian-Azerbaijani relations, although the Azerbaijani army is close to the complete defeat of the army of Armenia, Russia's ally in the CSTO. The second reason for the Kremlin’s caution is the determined intention of Turkish President R.T. Erdogan to protect Azerbaijan from a military threat from any third party.

Nevertheless, the second problem remains - covert supplies of light Russian weapons to Armenia by air transport. In recent battles, the Armenian army has used Russian unmanned reconnaissance aircraft of the Orlan model. Yesterday, the Azerbaijani infantry that entered the Goris-Lachin highway was fired upon by Armenian guns, the target designation of which was issued from the named drone, Russian military expert Igor Strelkov reported. In a photograph taken at the Yerevan airport that captured the "humanitarian aid" to Armenia from Russia, the outlines of missiles or shells can be seen.

The Armenian leadership has repeatedly appealed to Russia for military assistance, especially emphasizing the urgent need to protect Armenian positions from Azerbaijani unmanned and manned aircraft. There is reason to believe that Russia not only provides the Armenians with moral and political assistance by spreading fakes about mercenaries, but also intensively supplies Armenia with weapons and ammunition. There is reason to believe that Russia not only provides the Armenians with moral and political assistance by spreading fakes about mercenaries, but also intensively supplies weapons and ammunition to Armenia.