Artsakh Defense Army Did Not Target Civil Aircraft Flying Over Turkey and Georgia, Baku is Lying: ‘Hetq’

The recent claims by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense regarding the targeting of civilian aircraft by the Artsakh Defense Army are false. This is revealed through open-source information, as reported by ‘Hetq’.

In particular, the publication states: “The latest claims by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense that the Artsakh Defense Army has been targeting civilian aircraft are false. Open sources assist in uncovering this fabrication. Azerbaijan has pursued an aggressive policy against Armenia and Artsakh for years. Each time before launching military aggressive actions, official Baku activates its propaganda machine, which is not only manned by government institutions and figures but also local media outlets. Accordingly, the Azerbaijani side begins to accuse Armenians of some provocations or aggression, trying especially to show foreign audiences that it is peaceful and that its actions are purely defensive. These false reports, which have similar contents and forms, are disseminated for a while, after which Azerbaijan resorts to the use of force, presenting it as the exercise of its legitimate right to self-defense.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s fabricated news aims to divert the attention of the international community from its criminal acts such as the blockade of Artsakh, effectively starving the Artsakh Armenian population, and the killings and abductions of civilians, thus facilitating the ethnic cleansing of the Artsakh Armenians and blatantly violating its international obligations.

The Defense Army has labeled the Azerbaijani accusation as an 'absolute falsehood.' Against the backdrop of Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan made further accusations against the Artsakh Defense Army in July. It claimed that on April 13, the Defense Army suppressed the GPS navigation system of the Azerbaijani airline 'AZAL' Gulfstream G280 aircraft during its flights from Zangelan to Fizuli between 11:54-12:07 and from Fizuli to Baku between 13:02-13:17.

This accusation essentially implicates Artsakh in a criminal act, but aside from specifying the exact flight times, no concrete evidence has been provided. The Defense Army termed this an 'absolute fabrication.' “The report disseminated by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense regarding the supposed periodic suppression of GPS navigation systems of civilian aircraft flying over Artsakh airspace is absolute nonsense, creating a serious threat to flight safety,” stated the Defense Army on July 15.

Addressing the specific Zangelan-Fizuli and Fizuli-Baku flights, the Defense Army pointed out, “Aircraft flying along these routes do not need to cross the contact line, thus cannot fall under the influence of the Defense Army’s radio suppression devices.” Moreover, it should be noted that throughout the war in 2020 and afterward, it has been consistently the Azerbaijani side that has targeted the civilian infrastructure of the Republic of Artsakh by blocking the Lachin Corridor, disrupting gas and electricity supply lines, and suppressing access to the internet and mobile communications.

The Airplane Operator Was Not ‘AZAL’

To begin with, the 'Gulfstream G280' mentioned by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense is not owned by the country’s national carrier 'AZAL,' but rather by a different local company called 'ASG Business Aviation.' This operator was founded in 2007 by the Azerbaijani cargo carrier 'Silk Way Airlines' as 'SW Business Aviation' (later renamed), thus providing services in the business aviation sector.

‘Silk Way Airlines’ became particularly well-known after a 2017 journalistic investigation in Bulgaria that revealed the Azerbaijani company was transporting weapons under the guise of diplomatic flights to various war zones. 'Hetq' also highlighted the flights of 'Silk Way Airlines' and its subsidiary 'Silk Way West Airlines' to Israel and Turkey (and other countries) during the 44-day war in 2020, which were Azerbaijan's main military suppliers in the conflict. These flights are believed to have transported weapons, something that official Baku has not denied.

'ASG Business Aviation,' on the other hand, not only offers business aviation services to clients but also conducts flights for the needs of Azerbaijani state officials. For example, on May 14 of this year, right before the meeting of Pashinyan, Michel, and Aliyev in Brussels, a 'Gulfstream G550' aircraft from ‘ASG Business Aviation’ flew from Baku to Brussels, likely transporting Ilham Aliyev's delegation.

GPS Data Available, Exposing Baku's Lies

On July 13, the 'ASG Business Aviation' ‘Gulfstream G280’ aircraft (Azerbaijani registration: 4K-JJ8) performed the flight from Zangelan to Fizuli to Baku (flight number: ESW 280). Following the flight on the online platform flightradar24.com, it can be seen that at around 9 AM on that day, 4K-JJ8 departed from Baku, arriving in Zangelan approximately half an hour later. Flightradar24.com shows the entire trajectory of that flight, which does not cross the current contact line between Artsakh and Azerbaijan and is about 20 km away from the frontline at its closest point (see below). It is important to note that flights over areas controlled by Artsakh are almost nonexistent.

As for the time period from 11:54 to 12:07 on July 13, when the GPS system of 4K-JJ8 was allegedly suppressed while flying from Zangelan to Fizuli, it should first be noted that at 11:54 the aircraft was on the ground during the taxiing phase. Flightradar24.com shows the flight of 4K-JJ8 precisely between 11:52 and 11:58, with indications of the aircraft’s altitude, speed, flight direction, and coordinates. This data is received by flightradar24.com through the aircraft’s ADS-B technology. However, the key point is that the aircraft transmits this information through ADS-B only after it acquires it through its GPS system. “If the RER suppresses the GPS signal, then ADS-B cannot show the aircraft's data,” explains pilot David Sargsyan, adding that in that case the aircraft should not appear on online tracking such as flightradar24.com, flightaware.com, etc., since they all operate on the same principle. Thus, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense’s claim that on July 13, between 11:54-12:07, the Armenian side suppressed their civilian aircraft's GPS system is false, because for example, flightradar24.com shows the aircraft between 11:54-11:58.

It should be noted that the reasons for the interruption of aircraft tracks on online tracking sites can vary greatly, such as the absence of receivers in that segment, operational restrictions, temporary technical issues, etc.

Regarding the Fizuli-Baku flight that 4K-JJ8 performed on July 13, during which, according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, the Armenian side allegedly suppressed their aircraft's GPS system between 13:02-13:17, flightaware.com shows the entire flight starting from 12:52 up to 13:04 and from 13:17-13:30.

Azerbaijani authorities blame the Armenian side for the absence of the aircraft during those 13 minutes (which they claim lasted 15 minutes). However, this lie can be easily debunked, as another online tracking site — flightaware.com — shows the Azerbaijani aircraft's Fizuli-Baku flight from 12:57 until the end.

The Czech Aircraft, According to Baku's Lie, Was Targeted in the Skies of Turkey and Georgia by Artsakh

However, Azerbaijan decided to extend its country’s borders and project the 'dangerousness' of Armenians’ 'provocations' onto foreign airline aircraft. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, on July 25, the GPS system of the business-class 'Cessna Citation Sovereign' (also known as 'Cessna 680') of Czech Airlines was allegedly suppressed by the Artsakh Defense Army during its flight from Budapest to Baku between 14:08 and 14:30.

Similar to the previous two aircraft, this time too, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense misidentified the aircraft's operator. The aforementioned 'Cessna 680' (Czech registration: OK-JRS) is not operated by 'Czech Airlines' but rather by another Czech carrier, ‘Smartwings’.

While performing the Budapest-Baku flight, the OK-JRS passed through the airspaces of Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan (the flight number is listed on flightradar24.com as TVS 20J, and on flightaware.com as TVS 17J, although that is not crucial). During the timeframe mentioned by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, from 14:08 to 14:30, the Czech aircraft was located neither more nor less than over the Black Sea in Turkish and Georgian airspace. Hence, it can only be the Azerbaijani propaganda machine that would claim that the Defense Army in Artsakh suppressed the aircraft's GPS system from a location around 400 km away.

More detailed information can be found on Hetq.am.