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By David Brennan
Diplomatic Correspondent
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Demonstrations in the Armenian capital of Yerevan have converged on the Russian embassy, expressing anger at Moscow's failure to come to Armenia's aid in its latest hot conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The Azerbaijani armed forces on Tuesday announced the beginning of what they called an "anti-terrorist" operation in the enclave, which is currently controlled by the Armenia-aligned, but internationally unrecognized, Republic of Artsakh. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as Azeri territory, but its 120,000 people are mostly ethnic Armenians.
Russian forces were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh as peacekeepers after the conclusion of the last phase of hot conflict between the two neighbors in 2020, seeking to prevent a reignition of simmering tensions into open war. But Moscow's 2,000-strong contingent has proven unable to maintain calm, prompting angry criticism from Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) allies Armenia.
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On Tuesday, after the start of the Azerbaijani operation, crowds marched on the Russian embassy in Yerevan, declaring Moscow to be "the biggest enemy of Armenia." One protester told AFP: "This is all a consequence of Russia's policy. If they don't want to defend [Karabakh], then they must know that there is no place for them here."
Protesters also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and surrounded government buildings in the city center, clashing with riot police.
Russian embassy press secretary Alexander Guchkov told the Kremlin propagandist Solovyov Live television channel that the situation was "tense," but that there had been no direct aggression from protesters.
"The peoples of Russia and Armenia are linked by centuries-old history, a dense network of various ties of contacts, and I do not think that they can be broken so easily in one evening,'' the diplomat said, as quoted by Armenia News.
Baku launched the operation shortly after it reported that four soldiers and two civilians died in land mine explosions in Nagorno-Karabakh. "As part of the measures, positions on the frontline and in-depth, long-term firing points of the formations of Armenia's armed forces, as well as combat assets and military facilities are incapacitated using high-precision weapons," the Azerbaijani defense ministry said in a statement.
Videos soon emerged of drone and missile strikes on Armenian military equipment in Nagorno-Karabakh, while air raid warnings and artillery impacts were heard in the enclave's de facto capital, Stepanakert.
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The U.S., Russia, and European Union were among those calling for Azerbaijan to halt its nascent operation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday to "urge Azerbaijan to cease military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh immediately and deescalate the situation," according to a State Department readout.
The Russian foreign ministry, meanwhile, said: "We urge the conflicting parties to immediately stop the bloodshed, stop hostilities and eliminate civilian casualties."
The latest conflagration risks opening a new violent chapter in the struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh. The most recent clash ended in 2020 with an Azerbaijani victory. That was the second large-scale conflict over the territory since the two nations became independent in the 1990s.
The Russian peacekeepers deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 proved unable to keep open a key road—known as the Lachin Corridor—linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijani forces blocked the road last December despite the presence of Russian troops. The route's closure has caused severe food shortages in the enclave.
Yerevan has been railing against Russia in response and threatening Moscow's long-held influence over Armenia, a key element of Russia's presence in the broader south Caucasus region. Russia maintains a military base in Armenia, counts the country among its CSTO allies, and is Yerevan's primary military supplier.
But Pashinyan said earlier this month it had been a mistake for his country to become so dependent on Russian protection. "Armenia's security architecture was 99.999 percent linked to Russia, including when it came to the procurement of arms and ammunition," Pashinyan told Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
"But today we see that Russia itself is in need of weapons, arms and ammunition [for the Ukraine war] and in this situation it's understandable that even if it wishes so, the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia's security needs," he continued. "This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake."
On Wednesday, Armen Grigoryan—the secretary of the Armenian Security Council—said Russia had failed in its obligations to protect Yerevan. "Russia has been cooperating with Azerbaijan for a long time," Grigoryan said.
"Russia has clear obligations to defend Nagorno-Karabakh," he added. "The Russian peacekeepers are not taking any actions when Azerbaijan is attacking Nagorno-Karabakh."
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry by email to request comment.
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