Russian peacekeepers have commenced their withdrawal from Azerbaijan's Karabakh and other regions, concluding a multi-year deployment that provided Moscow with a military presence in the strategically vital South Caucasus region. The Kremlin and Azerbaijan confirmed this move.

Meanwhile, Russia is encountering pressure in the broader region, with neighbouring Armenia insisting that Russian border guards vacate its primary airport. Additionally, protesters in Georgia are confronting what they perceive as a government with pro-Russian leanings.

In November 2020, nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops were deployed to the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, following a deal brokered by Moscow. The agreement aimed to halt six weeks of fighting between Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian forces.

However, despite the deployment, Azerbaijan forcibly regained control of Karabakh in September of the following year. This action led to the displacement of 120,000 ethnic Armenians residing in the region and resulted in the arrest of the area's ethnic Armenian leaders.

At the time, Armenia's political leadership accused Moscow of failing to safeguard Armenian interests, an allegation that Russia dismissed. Unverified footage depicting Russian armoured personnel carriers purportedly heading towards Dagestan in southern Russia surfaced on Azerbaijani social media.

In response to inquiries regarding Azerbaijani media reports concerning a Russian withdrawal from Karabakh and surrounding areas, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed, "Yes, it is indeed the case," without providing further details.

According to a report by Azerbaijani news agency APA, Russian peacekeepers commenced their withdrawal late, with the first personnel and equipment disappearing from a monastery revered by Armenians in Azerbaijan's Kalbajar district several days ago. APA stated that Azerbaijani police officers had replaced the Russians at the site.

Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, confirmed to state news agency Azertac that a withdrawal agreement had been reached.

He stated, "The early withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers, temporarily stationed in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in accordance with the trilateral Statement signed on November 10, 2020, has been decided by the leaders of both countries." He further added that the process had already commenced, with the ministries of defence of Azerbaijan and Russia taking appropriate measures to execute the decision.

Initially scheduled to remain until 2025, the peacekeepers, whom Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had criticised for their alleged inaction during the conflict in Karabakh, are now withdrawing.

Pashinyan has publicly questioned Armenia's traditional alliance with Russia, which maintains several military facilities within the country, and has begun forging closer ties with Western nations. Armenia has also requested Russian border guards to vacate their posts at the country's main airport in Yerevan by August 1.

Image source: Reuters