The first four IL-76 planes with Russian peacekeepers went to Nagorno Karabakh from Ulyanovsk, the Russian Defense Ministry reported about it on Tuesday.
"The first four IL-76 aircrafts carrying out the transfer of Russian peacekeepers to the area of task fulfillment in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone took off from Ulyanovsk-Vostochny airfield. Onboard there are personnel of the peacekeeping force, automotive equipment, armored personnel carriers and supplies," the report says.
Later, it became known about the departure of five more aircraft.
The Defense Ministry reminded that in total 1,960 servicemen, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 vehicles and special equipment would be transferred to deploy the peacekeeping contingent in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
Units of the Russian peacekeepers will be redeployed in the area of operations by a combined method with IL-76 aircraft of the military transport aviation, the military department added.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on the complete cessation of military operations in Nagorno Karabakh. As the Russian leader said in particular, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides will remain in their occupied positions, and Russian peacekeepers will be deployed in the region.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the contingent will be based on units of the 15th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade (peacekeepers) of the Central Military District. The agency specified that in order to monitor compliance with the cessation of hostilities agreements, Russian observation posts will be set up along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The command of the peacekeeping operation will be located in the Stepanakert area.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
Based on materials from TASS