Russia airlifts 2,000 troops to Nagorno Karabakh to block Azeri advance
“In order to control the ceasefire and halt military actions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, a Russian peacekeeping contingent is being deployed consisting of 1,960 servicemen, 90 armored vehicles, 380 units of vehicles and special equipment,” the defense ministry in Moscow said early Tuesday. The contingent, flown in by IL-76 planes, is mainly formed of units of the 15th separate motor rifle brigade of the Central Military District, the statement said. They are being posted along the contact line in Nagorno Karabakh and the Lachinsky corridor which connects the enclave with Armenia.
This corridor and the fleeing ethnic Armenian civilians using it were under heavy fire from Azerbaijan .The Russian command post is to be based near the region’s capital, Stepanakert. DEBKAfile: It aims to save the city from falling by halting the Azeri military advance after the capture of its second town, Shusha, last week.