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Bloody fighting has been going on for weeks in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the southern Caucasus. Any attempt at mediation between the conflicting parties, Armenia and Azerbaijan, has so far been unsuccessful; instead, the conflict is becoming increasingly serious. Now a Russian military helicopter was shot down in the fighting.
The Russian Mi-24 helicopter crashed on Armenian territory, the Russian Defense Ministry said in Moscow. Two crew members were killed and another was injured. The helicopter lost control after a rocket launch and crashed in a mountainous region near the border with the Azerbaijani enclave Nakhichevan.
The incident occurred outside the combat zone in Nagorno-Karabakh, he said. It is located more than 100 kilometers from it. As an ally of Russia, Armenia pledged to support the investigation.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Azerbaijani forces accidentally shot down the helicopter. I apologize to Moscow.
At the same time, the ministry emphasized that the helicopter had flown near the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. In addition, the helicopter flew low at night through an area where previously Russian helicopters had not been seen.
Azerbaijan is willing to pay compensation to Russia. “The Azerbaijani side apologizes … for this tragic incident,” the statement said.
The tough fight for Nagorno-Karabakh has continued since September 27. Azerbaijan lost control of the mountainous area with around 145,000 inhabitants in a war after the collapse of the Soviet Union some 30 years ago. Since 1994 there has been a fragile ceasefire. Azerbaijan can rely on its “sister state” Turkey in the conflict. Russia, in turn, is the protecting power of Armenia.
Despite various attempts at mediation, including from Moscow, the fight for the disputed region continues. According to President Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani army has recently brought another 23 villages under its control. “Long live the Azerbaijani Army!”, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” Aliyev wrote on Twitter.
According to Azerbaijani sources, more than 200 villages have been captured since the offensive began on September 27. The Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian authorities did not confirm this.
Yerevan’s Defense Ministry announced that the Armenian armed forces had repulsed enemy attacks in various directions. Consequently, there were particularly fierce battles for the strategically important city of Shusha, as well as for Martuni, Martakert, Tagaward, and other locations. The attacks were repulsed from all sides.
