During the shelling in Nagorno-Karabakh, the deputy commander of the submarine forces of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, Ivan Kovgan, died. The President of Azerbaijan apologized to Putin for the death of Russian peacekeepers.
"Meduza" writes about it.
Ivan Kovgan was the deputy commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Kremlin said that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, allegedly called Putin on his own initiative and expressed his deep condolences over the tragic death of Russian peacekeepers.
On September 21, a meeting between representatives of the local Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and representatives of the Azerbaijani authorities is taking place in the city of Yevlakh. They discuss the reintegration of the region "within the framework of the Constitution of Azerbaijan", the rights and security of the Armenians of the region. In fact, the future existence of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is decided at the negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire agreement. Locals hide in basements, and those who have cars go to the airport, to the base of Russian peacekeepers, so that they help with the evacuation.
- On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan announced an "anti-terrorist operation" in Nagorno-Karabakh. The declared goal was the restoration of the constitutional order. The countryʼs Ministry of Defense cited attacks and terrorist attacks against forces in the region as the reason.
- The troops began to attack the facilities of the Armenian army and Armenian armed units in Karabakh. The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan also announced an attack on the place of deployment of the Russian contingent in the Khojavend district in order to destroy the Armenian radar there. The fighting lasted only a day.
- On the afternoon of September 20, the authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced a ceasefire. Azerbaijan demanded the withdrawal of the Armenian army from the region (Yerevan denies the presence of its troops there), the disbandment of NKR units, and the government of the unrecognized republic. The leadership of the NKR agreed to the withdrawal of troops and the disbanding of their units. In fact, the NKR capitulated. This will allow the Azerbaijani army to take full control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
- During the day of fighting, the Azerbaijani army managed to capture a number of heights and transport hubs. According to various estimates, from 32 to 100 people, including civilians, were killed in Karabakh during the day, and more than 200 people were injured. Mostly they are Armenians. The civil infrastructure of the city of Stepanakert was destroyed. Azerbaijan assured that it strikes only at military targets, but warned about the proximity of the Armenian military to civilian objects. There is no reliable information about the losses of the Azerbaijani army. She recognized so far only one dead person.