Russian military maneuvers in the Caspian, in the middle of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict

Russia announced that its navy has begun military exercises in the Caspian Sea, north of Baku, insisting that there is no threat to neighboring countries at a time when Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting battles to control Nagorno Karabakh.

The military exercises are being carried out on the Absheron Peninsula in northern Azerbaijan, where Baku is located, and will include rocket and artillery fire, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry.

Six ships, seven planes and more than 400 soldiers participate, according to the source.

The Russian ministry added that “the activities … pose no threat and do not impose restrictions on the economic activities of the countries bordering the Caspian.

Russia has so far held an equal distance from Azerbaijan and Armenia in its war to seize control of the Armenian-dominated Nagorno Karabakh region, which broke away from Baku in the 1990s.

Last week, Moscow sponsored a ceasefire between the two parties, which was soon violated.

But Armenia, unlike Azerbaijan, is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Moscow-led military alliance, and has expressed hope of Russia’s support.

At a time when protesters continue to pressure Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko after the disputed elections, forces of the “Collective Security Treaty Organization” are participating in joint military exercises this week also in Belarus.

The exercises, with the participation of the organization’s peacekeepers, are being carried out in the Vitebsk region of eastern Belarus and are called “brothers who cannot be destroyed”.