Russia announces total withdrawal of troops from Artsakh

Moscow’s forces stood by as Azerbaijan launched an offensive to take back the region last year.

Russia will pull out all of its nearly 2,000 troops from Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region, the Kremlin said in a surprise announcement just six months after they watched a forced mass exodus of the region’s Armenian population.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed the withdrawal Wednesday, according to Russian state newswire TASS.

Under the terms of a 2020 cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, 1,960 Russian soldiers as well as hundreds of units of armored personnel carriers and other military equipment were stationed in the region. They had a peacekeeping mandate until at least the end of 2025, but Moscow is directing all available resources into its war on Ukraine.

Source: Politico