Russian Troops Killed in 'Fog of War,' Azerbaijan Diplomat Says Amid Probe

Russian peacekeepers killed last week in the disputed South Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh died in the "fog of war," a senior Azerbaijani diplomat has told Newsweek, as Baku's forces continue to take control of the area and tens of thousands of locals flee their advance.

Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the U.K. and its former representative in the U.S., said that Moscow's 2,000-strong contingent of peacekeepers would be "instrumental" in the integration process Azerbaijan's government is now planning for the area, despite some of their number being caught in last week's crossfire.

"That was a very unfortunate incident," Suleymanov said of the killing of several Russian soldiers, on whom Azerbaijani forces claimed to have mistakenly opened fire mistaking their vehicle for one belonging to local ethnic-Armenian fighters.

"It does reflect, unfortunately, the fog of war," Suleymanov added. "In that situation, if you see a car with military equipment moving around, this happens."

The diplomat said that the incident and those involved "will be investigated in the joint-investigation with Russia."

"We believe they are safe, and we hope that nothing like that ever happens again," Suleymanov added of Russian peacekeepers.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

An investigation into the killings is already underway and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan apologized to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it had been assured by its Azerbaijani counterparts "that a very meticulous investigation is underway, and it is already yielding results, and that all the perpetrators will face the punishment they deserve."

Nagorno-Karabakh, an territorial enclave surrounded by Azerbaijan, is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but is populated by around 120,000 people who are mostly ethnic Armenians. It was controlled until last week by the self-declared, Yerevan-backed Republic of Artsakh.

Russian peacekeepers have been operating in Nagorno-Karabakh since the end of the last conflict between Baku and Yerevan over the mountainous region in 2020. But Moscow's forces proved unable to prevent a resurgence in tensions or keep open the only road—known as the Lachin Corridor—linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

The route was blockaded by Baku earlier this year, with the Azerbaijani government accusing Yerevan and its local allies of using the road to bring weapons and soldiers into the territory. Baku's critics, though, have accused Azerbaijan of intentionally isolating the enclave and precipitating a humanitarian crisis.

Azerbaijani forces again moved into Nagorno-Karabakh last week in what Baku called an "anti-terrorist" operation, after several people were killed and wounded by a landmine explosion close to the enclave. Local Armenian forces quickly capitulated, and agreed to a ceasefire by which Artsakh units would disarm and all regular Armenian troops and equipment would leave.

The rapid defeat of the Armenian forces prompted fierce protests in the Armenian capital. Demonstrators called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign and besieged the Russian embassy, furious with Moscow for its perceived repeated failure to come to the aid of Armenia and Artsakh.

With Pashinyan publicly breaking from his Russian allies, there have been suggestions that the Kremlin is intentionally undermining him.

Regardless, Russian forces look set to remain in Armenia—where they have several military bases and work alongside their Armenian Collective Security Treaty Organization ally—and in Nagorno-Karabakh, where peacekeepers are helping oversee the disarmament of separatist units.

Last week's short-lived conflict was the third confrontation over the area since Armenia and Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s. If Baku's nascent integration program is successful, it might prove the last. Formal peace talks are now underway, while tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians are fleeing Azerbaijani forces fearing ethnic cleansing or even genocide.

Suleymanov said the collapse of peace talks and resumption of violence "is always possible," but added that the "overwhelming majority" of local fighters have agreed to lay down their arms.

"That is where the Russian peacekeeping force first plays a fundamental important role, because that's who's going to receive—at least an intermediary in the immediate future—the weapons and systems," the ambassador said.

The 2020 agreement stipulated a Russian peacekeeping presence until 2025. Suleymanov noted their deployment is "a temporary measure," adding: "I can't judge whether there is a need for them beyond that, or maybe until that."