YEREVAN, October 14. /ARKA/. Artsrun Hovhannisyan, spokesman for the Armenian foreign ministry, at a briefing on Tuesday presented the situation on the Artsakh frontline and spoke about the new tactics of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
“From early morning today, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have launched large-scale offensive actions along almost the entire length of the Artsakh border, at least in three or four sections. The northern section was especially tense. During the day, heavy battles were going on in the northern direction, after a large and large-scale artillery preparation, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive using military equipment,” he said.
Hovhannisyan said that there were few such heavy battles during this war, and that today’s battle is one of the most difficult battles in the entire war.
“During this period, our units managed to push the enemy back, inflicting significant losses on him. Thanks to the united, joint, brilliant and heroic actions of the regular army, reservists and militias, it was possible to stop the offensive actions of the enemy,” Hovhannisyan said.
He pointed out that the fighting also continued in other areas.
“The enemy has not made any serious progress, despite the fact that over the past few days, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have switched to the following tactics: raids and rapid penetration into various military-strategic settlements are carried out and information actions are performed, photographs are taken with flags at different buildings,” Hovhannisyan said.
He stated that this is done in order to have a psychological impact, first of all, on their public and then on ours.
“The problem is the following: due to the loss of a large potential of their own Armed Forces during prolonged battles and the lack of significant progress and success in offensive operations, they need to “feed” the Azerbaijani public with such information,” the defense ministry spokesman said.
In support of his words, he provided some information.
“Within 14-15 days, the task of advancement, which is usually assigned to one regiment, was completed by 3-4 army corps of Azerbaijan: for the most part they have nothing to brag about. Any foreign military specialist who has at least theoretical military knowledge will confirm my words. After that, there is nothing left but to a quick penetration of raider groups into various settlements for taking photographs near buildings and then pretending that they have seized the mayor’s office or this or that building,” Hovhannisyan said.
He also explained that a similar situation has developed near Hadrut, since the enemy uses the peculiarities of the mountainous-wooded landscape.
“Periodic penetration of sabotage groups into Hadrut and nearby settlements is not ruled out,” he said, noting that the troops are fighting this phenomenon.
War in Artsakh
On September 27, at 07:10, Azerbaijani troops launched an offensive along the entire length of the contact line in Artsakh, but were thrown back in several directions. Intense fighting continues in the south, southeast and north of the front line. Turkey joined the aggression. Residential areas are being shelled as well.
The Azerbaijani side suffered losses in manpower (more than 4,919 people killed and over 5,000 wounded) and equipment, in particular, 173 UAVs, 4 units of TOS – 1A, 4 Smerch and Uragan MLRS, more than 521 tanks and other armored vehicles, 16 helicopters and 18 aircraft. According to the data of the defense ministry of Armenia and Artsakh, more than 530 Armenian servicemen were killed and hundreds wounded on the Armenian side. Also 30 civilians were killed and more than 100 wounded on the Armenian side.
On October 9, following the meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, with the mediation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, an agreement was reached on a ceasefire from 12:00 on October 10 for humanitarian purposes for the exchange of prisoners of war and the bodies of the dead. Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, on the basis of the basic principles of the settlement, are starting substantive negotiations with the aim of achieving a peaceful settlement as soon as possible.
Martial law and general mobilization were declared in Artsakh and Armenia.