Yerevan/Baku: Armenia has claimed to have killed over 7,000 Azeri soldiers in the Armenia-Azerbaijan war ongoing for more than 40 days now. Armenia also said it had destroyed more than 260 drones and 25 warplanes of Azerbaijan. Over 1,200 Armenian soldiers and civilians are said to have been killed in Nagorno-Karabakh. Given the recent events, UK journalist and analyst, Thomas de Waal believes the bloodiest and most decisive fight in the Armenia-Azerbaijan war will be seen in the near future.
Claims have surfaced of Azerbaijan attaining a significant victory for the past few days in its war with Armenia. Only two days back, the Azeri President said they had control on 200 villages in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Azeri Army, which is receiving assistance from Turkey, is said to have reached the borders of Shusha, the second largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh. However, Azerbaijan has avoided reporting about the destruction caused to its military while presenting its success. As Armenia said the devastation caused to its military in Nagorno-Karabakh, the secrecy Azerbaijan maintains in that regard is suspicious. Only last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin had stated that both sides together had lost more than 5,000 soldiers in the war. Therefore, the claims on losses suffered by Azerbaijan in the war received a confirmation as well.
On the sidelines of the developments, Armenia reporting the losses Azerbaijan incurred assumes much significance. According to Armenia’s Unified Infocentre, a total of 7,510 Azeri soldiers have been killed so far. Also, the Armenian Army has destroyed more than 750 armoured vehicles and tanks as also downed 262 of its drones. Armenia claims to have also neutralised 25 Azeri warplanes and 16 of its helicopters. The figures suggest Azerbaijan has suffered a more significant blow than Armenia in this war. Despite extensive losses, Azerbaijan has hinted at intensifying the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Control of Shusha is key to having control over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azeri Army is already at the borders of the city, and a fierce war for Shusha is believed will be fought in the next few days. British journalist, Thomas de Waal, has warned the Armenia-Azerbaijan war will see the bloodiest conflict over the next few days. Canadian analyst Neil Hauer has also claimed the fight for Shusha will be a point of culmination in the war. At the time, he drew the focus over the statements of Azerbaijan President. President Ilham Aliyev had said Azerbaijan’s victory would be incomplete without the freedom of Shusha. Local groups in Nagorno-Karabakh have informed Azerbaijan’s attacks on Shusha, and other areas have intensified and become more extensive in the past few days.
Meanwhile, Russian intelligence agencies have reissued a severe warning over militants in the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. Chief of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergei Naryshkin has cautioned that ‘Hundreds of militants are arriving in the region to join the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. We have information that thousands had participated in the war earlier. South Caucasus may become a new base for terrorist groups due to the militants. In addition, the militants could even enter into Russia and other nations and launch attacks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a few days ago, had targeted Turkey as he said over 2,000 militants from the Middle East had joined the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. After that, local media outlets reported Iran had begun mobilising additional military forces at the borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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