Azerbaijan is taking advantage of Russia’s “distraction” with its war in Ukraine to attack its neighbour Armenia, analysts say.
Russia – the broker of the ceasefire agreement that ended fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 – is currently preoccupied by Vladimir Putin’s announcement on 21 September of a “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 military reservists, as well as its planned referendum vote on annexation in four occupied Ukrainian territories.
It has provided an opportunity for Azerbaijan to escalate conflict against Armenia, which ramped up with an attack on the country on 13 September.
