Armenian Authorities Aware of Upcoming Azerbaijani Actions but Instructed to Declare No Response: Russian Diplomat's Leaks

Russian Foreign Minister's former senior adviser Alexander Ananev has made certain revelations regarding the events in Artsakh in 2023 and the secret meetings that took place during the pre-war period. This was reported by Armenian National Assembly member Tigran Abrahamyan.

He noted that just 2-3 days before the military actions began in Artsakh in September 2023, representatives from Russia, the USA, and the EU met in Turkey. According to him, Russia attempted to prevent the escalation initiated by Azerbaijan, but the USA opposed it.

The Russian diplomat confirmed that Armenian authorities were aware of the upcoming Azerbaijani actions, but it was communicated to them that they should announce that Armenia would not respond to these developments.

I would like to immediately note that Ananev's claim that Russia attempted to prevent the escalation does not justify Russia's inability to halt the large-scale war against Artsakh or to stop it at an earlier stage.

Regarding the Armenian authorities, they have confessed at the highest levels that they had been willing to surrender Artsakh as early as 2018, so everything was clear on their part long ago. In general, international actors, each concerning their own responsibilities, did not take any serious steps to prevent the blockade of Artsakh, deter Azerbaijan, or prevent the forcible displacement of Artsakh Armenians.

Now everyone is trying to justify themselves, transferring responsibility to each other, creating the impression that they are fighting for the restoration of the rights of the Artsakh people or the resolution of humanitarian issues. In reality, under their tacit consent and approval, Azerbaijan first carried out large-scale actions against Artsakh in 2020, then resorted to aggression against Armenia in 2021-22, and in 2023 fully occupied Artsakh by force.