The withdrawal of the Russian contingent temporarily stationed in Karabakh from Azerbaijan has begun.

The Azerbaijani publications APA and Musavat reported on this.

It is reported that the Russians left the territory of the Khudavang monastery, which has come under the control of the Azerbaijani police.

In addition, the process of withdrawing the Russian contingent from the base in Khojaly is underway. Along with these reports, local residents publish footage of Russian convoys moving from Karabakh toward Armenia.

The Russian “peacekeeping” contingent was supposed to be deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh until November 10, 2025.

The Russian contingent was temporarily deployed there following a trilateral statement signed on November 10, 2020, between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia.

The size of the Russian contingent was limited to 1,960 soldiers, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 vehicles, and special equipment, 4 Mi-8 and 4 Mi-24 helicopters of the Russian Aerospace Forces, and 7 UAVs.

The bulk of the contingent was made up of soldiers from the 15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the Central Military District.

Russian losses in Karabakh

On September 21, 2023, Militarnyi reported that the Azerbaijani military killed four Russian high-ranking officers on the territory of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

It was reported that the Russians were killed in an ambush organized by the Azerbaijani military, and some Russian sources suggest that the Russians were killed by a sniper.

The UAZ Patriot vehicle was ambushed near the village of Dzhanyatag. The Russians released the names, ranks, and positions of the two officers.

The dead included Captain of First Rank Ivan Kovgan, Deputy Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet Submarine Forces for Military and Political Work, and Colonel Tagire-Murod Karaev, Commander of the 29th Brigade of the Central Military District.

It was also reported that Azerbaijan had struck the base of Russian “peacekeepers.”