Armenia: Putin’s Second Front in the South Caucasus

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

The strange “Two-Day War” between Azerbaijan and Karabakh ended with the capitulation of the 32-year-old unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Karabakh authorities have accepted Azerbaijan’s ceasefire proposal, Armenian media reported. The ceasefire came into effect at 13:00 on September 20. The agreement was later confirmed by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Stepanakert, the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, recognized the “central authority” of Azerbaijan. The NKR army will be disbanded, heavy equipment will be withdrawn. In fact, this means the capitulation of the NKR and the recognition of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The history of the military conflict in Karabakh goes back more than three decades. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was proclaimed in September 1991 during the collapse of the USSR. Until now, Russian peacekeepers formally have played a key role in the peaceful settlement, restraining the sides from further escalation of the conflict. Since 2020, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and Putin’s Russia, has clearly demonstrated its intention to resolve the Karabakh issue by military force.

Brief chronicles of the two-day war

• On September 19–20, against the background of Armenia’s and Russia’s refusal to intervene in…