The President of Azerbaijan urgently apologizes to Putin for the death of a high-ranking Russian military official in Naka
On the 20th local time, Russian peacekeeping personnel were attacked in the Naka region, and multiple Russian military personnel died on the spot, including Ivan Kovgen, the deputy commander of the Russian peacekeeping force in the Naka region. After the attack, Azerbaijani President Aliyev apologized to Russian President Putin and expressed condolences.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on the 20th, when Russian troops returned from the observation post in the Janiatak residential area, their vehicle was attacked by light weapons, and several Russian military personnel inside the vehicle were killed.
According to reports, the deceased included Ivan Kovgen, Deputy Commander of the Russian peacekeeping force in the Naka region and Deputy Commander of the submarine unit of the Northern Fleet.
After the attack, the Kremlin revealed that Aliyev urgently called Putin to apologize for the death of Russian peacekeeping personnel. Aliyev also expressed willingness to provide economic assistance to the families of the deceased and emphasized that a thorough investigation will be conducted into this incident, and those responsible will be punished.
On the 21st, Russian satellite network reported, citing sources from the Russian Ministry of Defense, that the first batch of suspects in the incident have been detained. Sources also revealed that a military commander of the Azerbaijani armed forces has been dismissed, and his subordinates are responsible for the deaths of Russian soldiers.
Russian President's press secretary Peskov stated on the 21st that this incident is still under investigation.
On September 19, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence issued a statement saying that "anti-terrorism operations" were launched in Naka on the same day, and the targets were "only military targets", and had informed Russia and Türkiye of the relevant plans.
The Naqa region is located in the southwest of Azerbaijan, and its residents are mostly Armenians. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a war broke out between Asia and Afghanistan over the issue of ownership of the Naka region. In 1994, both sides reached an agreement on a comprehensive ceasefire, but the two countries have been in a hostile state due to the Naqa issue, and armed conflicts have occurred from time to time. In September 2020, a new round of conflict broke out between the two countries over the Naqa issue. On November 9th of the same year, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia signed a statement declaring a comprehensive ceasefire in the Naka region from midnight Moscow time on the 10th. Russian troops are currently stationed in areas such as the Lachin Corridor.
