Azerbaijan and Armenia: More than 100 dead on the Armenian side

Armenia and Azerbaijan have blamed each other for new attacks. Heavy weapons and combat drones are said to have been used. There are said to be more than 100 dead on the Armenian side alone.

Fighting continues between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. “The enemy used combat drones in the direction of Jermuk,” said a spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry. The village of Werin Schorscha to the north was also attacked. The attacks intensified over the course of the day, and vehicles of the Russian peacekeeping force were also fired upon.

According to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, 105 Armenian soldiers have been killed in the fighting over the past two days. In a speech to parliament, Pashinyan said Azerbaijan had taken control of parts of Azerbaijani territory in the recent military confrontation, according to Russian news agency Tass.

Azerbaijan denies allegations

Baku denied the allegations from Yerevan and in turn accused the neighbor of attacks. According to this, the Armenian military is shelling positions of the Azerbaijanis in the Kalbajar region in western Azerbaijan. The Armenian troops also used heavy weapons such as howitzers. The statements cannot be independently verified.

The Azerbaijani State Prisoners of War Commission agreed to hand over the remains of killed Armenian soldiers to Yerevan. Azerbaijan is calling for “a ceasefire” and is “unilaterally ready to hand over the bodies of 100 Armenian soldiers to Armenia,” she said.

Berlin calls for a ceasefire

The federal government expressed its deep concern about the latest developments. A spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office called on both sides in Berlin to stop all combat operations and return to dialogue.

Decades of conflict

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds over borders and territories for decades – including because of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Mostly Armenians live there, but according to international law the area is on Azerbaijani territory.

During a six-week war in 2020 that killed more than 6,600 people, Azerbaijan retook much of the region and surrounding areas that had been controlled by Armenian-backed separatists for decades. The war ended with a Russian-brokered armistice. Moscow sent about 2,000 soldiers as a peacekeeping force as part of the agreement.

Russia is traditionally seen as Armenia’s protecting power in the Caucasus, while Turkey is acting on the side of Azerbaijan in the conflict. In contrast to the previous conflicts, according to Armenian statements, this time it was not the exclave that was attacked, but positions in the heartland of Armenia.