How Turkey Prepared the Ground for Escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh: Kommersant

Kommersant's strategic and military sources claim that the serious current tension in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was deliberately planned and incited by Turkey. According to them, in recent months, Ankara has actively provoked Baku to start military operations, promising comprehensive political, diplomatic, intelligence, and military-technical support.

Earlier, officials from the USA and France spoke about Turkey's direct involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The newspaper notes the presence of 600 Turkish military personnel, consisting of a 200-member technical battalion, 50 controllers stationed in Nakhchivan, 90 consultants in Baku (who ensured the communication between brigade - corps - general staff during military operations), 120 flight technical personnel stationed in Gabala, 20 UAV operators at Daglar airport, 50 controllers stationed at the airport in Yevlakh, and 50 controllers in the 4th Army Corps, along with 20 specialists at the naval base and the Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev in Baku.

The report emphasizes that this contingent has included 18 infantry fighting vehicles, one multiple rocket launcher, 10 units of ground transportation, and 34 units of aviation equipment (including 6 aircraft, 8 helicopters, and 20 drones) which are expected to ensure military reconnaissance in the territories of Artsakh and Armenia.

The publication highlights a sharp increase in the number of military flights from Turkey to Azerbaijan between December and October. On September 4, 21, and 25, three military aircraft were dispatched from Turkey to Azerbaijan. From September 28 to 30, according to the media, the commander of the Turkish ground forces, Umit Duydar, and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, visited Azerbaijan to carry out overall management of military operations on site.

On September 30, October 1, and 3, three more aircraft loaded with medical supplies and munitions were also sent from Turkey to Azerbaijan. Moreover, on October 9, 200 units of DShK machine guns were brought from Amman to Baku by aircraft.

According to Kommersant's sources, under the auspices of Turkey's Ministry of Defense and intelligence services, terrorists are being recruited in the camps of Islamist militants in Syria to fight in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. About 1,500 fighters from Syria and Libya have been stationed in the regions of Tertir and Bayandur, heading towards Jebrayil. The militants are primarily being recruited from the northwestern regions of Syria under Turkish control. According to Kommersant, before sending them to Azerbaijan, they have been issued documents and were informed that their services would be needed for up to three months.

The publication also reported that prior to the announcement of the humanitarian ceasefire on October 10, recruitment of up to 1,500 terrorists in Syria was actively continuing. Kommersant also reminded that the sending of approximately 2,200 militants to Azerbaijan has already been reported by the BBC and The Wall Street Journal, as well as warned by the government of Armenia, the Prime Minister of France, and the US Secretary of State.