Azerbaijan Begins to Test Russian Nerves: Trying to Take Advantage of the Situation

According to the newspaper “Hayouh,” as of May 10, the deployment of the Azerbaijani army in the area known as the Black Lake near Ishkhanasar in the Syunik province has caused significant unrest in Armenia. The situation created is explosive not only in terms of internal political stability but may also lead to new clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Sources close to the Armenian Ministry of Defense claim that after an alarm was declared at the Ministry on Wednesday, our units quickly returned to a state of readiness and rapidly concentrated in designated directions, which has begun to cause concern in Azerbaijan, where it is being promoted that Armenians no longer have strength.

The newspaper has also been informed that intriguing messages are coming from the Russians regarding this matter. They are defending the Armenian viewpoint, and it is not a coincidence that after the news spread, Russian MiG fighters and helicopters took to the skies. Furthermore, during negotiations with Azerbaijanis, the Russians are coming in support of Armenians while the Azerbaijanis are coming alone.

According to Russian media reports, the Russian side was angered by the fact that Azerbaijan attempted to take advantage of the change in Russian commanders in the Syunik area, which falls under the responsibility of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Baku apparently hoped that General Alexey Avdeev, who arrived in the region to replace Rustam Muradov, would allow Azerbaijan to strengthen its positions before he officially took on his duties.

Sources in the Foreign Ministry did not rule out that Russia might begin to respond very harshly to such incidents, but noted that Azerbaijan could receive a blow from elsewhere and in other forms. In response to our inquiry regarding the situation in Ishkhanasar and what developments might be expected, the main answer was that until the last moment, there was no clarity, but our forces are becoming increasingly determined.

Incidentally, our observations indicate that within the population, the viewpoint advocating the use of force is gradually increasing, as Azerbaijan has begun to act more brazenly.