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Combat vehicles. Photo: Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan
October 5 was the ninth day of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. On Monday, the capital of the unrecognized republic, Stepanakert, suffered severe damage.
In response, a powerful fire broke out, severely damaging the infrastructure of Azerbaijani cities and towns located near the line of contact.
Baku said that at the end of the day, they recaptured three villages and several strategic heights in Karabakh. Yerevan reported that with the help of the tactical technique “visibility of retreat – attack” they destroyed the enemy detachment.
The OSCE Minsk Group, represented by the Foreign Ministers of Russia, France and the United States, launched a new appeal to the parties to the conflict.
Putin and Pashinyan spoke again on the phone. The president of the Russian Federation urged to stop shooting; after today, the conflict has become on a large scale and there are many victims.
“Strana” summarizes the main news about the fighting in Daghlig Karbakh and the political statements about it on 5 October.
Fighting in Karabakh on October 5, 2020
Active hostilities resumed at dawn.
Azerbaijan announced the launch of missiles from the territory of Armenia with the help of air defense, which led to the destruction of infrastructure. In Baku, they said that Ganja had been crushing fire. Judging from the images, the heavy weapons were working.
Ganja today. Photo: Twitter / Hikmet Hajiyev
Fires continued in the Agjabadi and Beylagan settlements. Roofs and houses were destroyed there. Azerbaijan claims that the enemy used large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery against the front-line cities.
Agjabadi today. Photo: Sputnik
At that time, Armenia published a report that the shelling of Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, began with greater intensity. And also that Baku has resumed offensive operations in the southern direction of the line of contact.
Later, a video of the aftermath of the Stepanakert bombing on 5 October appeared on the Internet. Journalists report that the images show a five-story residential building, on the ground floor of which there was a furniture store. Next to it is another damaged two-story building. In the corner is what is left of the car. Artsakhenergo was almost completely destroyed.
The local residents of Stepanakert (after the mobilization, they are increasingly elderly, women and children) are hiding in basements and bomb shelters.
Judging from Stepanakert’s images, it is very dangerous to be in the city. The Karabakh operations headquarters said its capital was under continuous attack today. According to them, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan are trying to fire volleys to cause maximum damage to the civilian population.
The pictures show how the car moves on the road. The street is deserted. Applause, a loud bang, and private shots rumble.
The photographic reports of the Karabakh headquarters in the afternoon from Stepanakert are terrifying. Multi-story residential buildings no longer have windows, private houses have been destroyed; social facilities, including schools, are seriously traumatized.
Stepanakert today. All photos: Karabakh headquarters
Throughout the day, Karabakh President Vahram Poghosyan reported that in some areas of the front, for tactical purposes, the Defense Army (as they are called in Armenia and the unrecognized republic, their common troops, – Ed.) took people away to avoid unnecessary losses and inflict more damage on the enemy. “The decision has already been made, we will not stop,” Poghosyan concluded.
“Fierce battles are being fought at the front, the advance of the enemy troops is being stopped,” Artsrun reported today in the Armenian Defense Ministry. At this time, the redeployment of troops in Yerevan is not being considered.
It was soon pointed out that this tactical technique was the bait Azerbaijan fell in love with. The enemy created the appearance of a retreat. After a quick run, the Armed Forces of Armenia, according to their information, attacked with artillery and destroyed the Azerbaijani detachment.
At the end of the day, Baku reported that October 5 was a success for them too. According to the Azerbaijani side, three villages in the Jebrail region (Agaly, Saryjaly and Mezre) and several strategic heights in various directions have been recovered.
“The successful operation of our heroic army continues. Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” – wrote on Twitter the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
Baku continues to insist that the enemy army is weak. Yerevan refutes this, but asks the daughter-in-law to mobilize. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinin addressed citizens today. He announced a general draft for demobilized military personnel during the past year.
“Brothers, I wait for you. This is not just a war, this is another Sardarapat, this is a decisive battle for our lives. We must prevent a repeat of the Armenian genocide,” Pashinyan said.
On the same day, it became known that the front voluntarily abandoned the son of Prime Minister Ashot (Nikol Pashinyan and his wife are raising three daughters and a son, – Ed.).
“I just volunteered at the Central Station. Dear colleagues, it is our turn to do our duty to the Homeland,” Ashot Pashinyan wrote on Facebook and attached a photo (probably signature in a magazine on the photo).
According to the Nagorno-Karabakh Ombudsman, 19 civilians have been killed and 80 injured since 27 September.
A day earlier, Azerbaijan reported its civilian casualties: 24 dead and 111 wounded.
Political statements on Nagorno-Karabakh on October 5, 2020
There were also many political statements around Nagorno-Karabakh on October 5. But let’s start with a statement from Arkhats’ own parliament.
From the appeal of the unrecognized republic to all the parliaments of the world, it followed that they were asking to recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. His authorities were said to have welcomed the steps taken by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states – Russia, the United States and France – as well as by the international community to restore peace in the region.
“However, these efforts collide with the destructive steps of Turkey and Azerbaijan,” says the statement from the Karabakh parliament.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the work of the OSCE Minsk Group. He wishes to include his closest ally: Turkey. Erdogan is not against such a proposal. Today he claimed that the military conflict in Karabakh was caused precisely by the inaction of this group from Minsk.
Moscow, as before, does not seem to have plans to clearly take sides in the Karabakh conflict. A new statement from the OSCE Minsk Group was released tonight.
This time it was not signed by the presidents of Russia, the United States and France, but by the heads of the Chancellery. The full version can be found below. However, it does not contain any details, except for urgent appeals for peace.
Furthermore, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced his readiness to hold a meeting of his colleagues from Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow with the participation of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group. That is, Russia in this case expressed its readiness to present its platform for the negotiations, so to speak, of banners to Minsk, where, for obvious reasons, it is unlikely that the representatives of France and the United States will now agree to go.
At 21:55, the Kremlin website published a report on the upcoming telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan. It was short but simple.
The Kremlin indicates that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has become large-scale and is causing serious losses on both sides, including civilian casualties. In this regard, Putin emphasized “the urgent need to end hostilities.”
Today no statements were made aloud about Karabakh in Ukraine. It is that the previous statements of Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba on September 30 today in Azerbaijan were interpreted as direct support.
The official Baku included Ukraine among the countries that supported it in the struggle for the liberation of the occupied territories. Azerbaijani diplomats said they were very pleased with Kuleba and Zelensky’s words.
We are very happy with Dmitry Kuleba’s statements about supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and that the frozen conflicts, in fact, are not frozen, that they can erupt at any time … The position of the leadership of his country in the person of President Volodymyr Zelensky, we support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, just as Azerbaijan supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine. We are very satisfied with the statements of the Ukrainian leaders, “said Elmira Akhundova, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ukraine.