The ceremony of the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Karabakh (updated)

Colonel-General Yevgeny Nikiforov, Commander of the Western Military District of Russia, and Colonel-General Kerim Veliyev, Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, arrived from Khojaly to escort several hundred peacekeepers. In their speeches, they noted the role of peacekeepers in maintaining peace in the region after the end of the Second Karabakh War.

During the ceremony, awards were also presented to Russian and Azerbaijani officers for their services in ensuring the normal activities of peacekeepers.  After that, several hundred peacekeepers marched along the runway of the Khojaly airport to the sounds of the military celebration of the Russian Defense Ministry. A concert was held at the end of the ceremony.

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Сlosing ceremony of Russian peacekeepers' base is held at Khojaly airport.

On 15 May at noon in Karabakh, on the territory of Khojaly airport, the closing ceremony of the Russian peacekeepers' base began.

Peacekeepers numbering about 2,000 people were introduced in Karabakh after the end of the Second Karabakh War in November 2020. Their task was to divide the sides, guard roads, and ensure communications between Karabakh Armenians and Armenia.

After the military operation of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on 19-20 September 2023, the withdrawal of the Armenian population to Armenia and the disarmament of local military formations, there was no need for further stay of peacekeepers.

In April 2024, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia agreed on the withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh.  By now, most of the military equipment and personnel of the peacekeepers have been withdrawn from the territory and all 30 checkpoints on the roads have been eliminated.

Recall that the main base of peacekeepers is located on the territory of Khojaly airport - it is about 12 mobile buildings for accommodation and work of officers and ordinary staff, technical facilities for maintenance of equipment and communication.

The peacekeepers leave in their trucks to the Goran railway station in the Goranboy region of Azerbaijan. They then load the equipment onto railway echelons and proceed to Russia. The full withdrawal should be completed by the end of May.