Weapons supply from Nakhichevan to Ukraine: here is what Russian border guards in Armenia are “obstructing”

Earlier, we asked the following question: who and what are the Russian border guards in Armenia “obstructing”? One of the possible answers to these questions has been given over the past weekend.

According to information posted on the Internet, late in December 2023, the Kiev Economic Court considered a lawsuit from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense against the Ukrspecexport enterprise to recover 82,696,776.00 hryvnia for violation of the concluded state contract for the supply of weapons.

Representatives of the Ukrainian company signed a contract with the “foreign supplier—production association (Republic of Azerbaijan)” for the supply of a total of 135 units of ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft autocannons. It also becomes clear from the documents that the delivery of these weapons was carried out in sea containers through a “third country”.
According to the Russian Telegram channel “Rybar”, given its geographical location, Turkey could well be this third country.

According to Russian experts, the delivery dates also show that the third country may be Turkey: during the specified period, the so-called “grain corridor” was still functioning, within the framework of the “grain deal” (an agreement among Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations on the safe sea corridor for agricultural goods), one of the guarantors of which was Turkey. The legal fact of using the sea route to supply Ukraine may indicate the direct involvement of the Turkish side.

Commenting on this information, official Baku, instead of refuting, again decided to find an “Armenian trace” in the news about arms supplies to Kiev.
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense Industry denied information about the arms supplies to Ukraine in 2022 and 2023. This is stated on the official website of the department.
“In response to the inquiries regarding the information posted on the Armenian segment of Telegram about the alleged ‘sending of military equipment by Azerbaijan to Ukraine’ we inform that these messages are fakes and disinformation,” the statement reads.

As you can see, the primary source of information is not the Armenian segment of Telegram but a specific Russian channel, and Azerbaijani officials have not provided any refutations regarding the decision of the Kiev Economic Court.

What can we conclude from this? If the Russian side’s version is correct, and the weapons were delivered from Nakhichevan to Turkey and only then transported to Ukraine, then it becomes clear which “peaceful goods and cargoes” Baku and Ankara intend to transport through the territory of Armenia if they take control of the so-called “Zangezur corridor”. For Baku, the Russian or Iranian presence in Syunik is politically impractical and unacceptable, as this will allow Russia or Iran to have a full understanding of what is being transported between the countries. It was from here that the Turkish idea was born to grant the Syunik region a special status of autonomy. Hence, Azerbaijan’s idea that “third countries should ensure the security of communications in Syunik”, and by “third party” Azerbaijan means Turkey.

No matter how Ilham Aliyev plays a “balanced policy”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did not say that “the Azerbaijani army must be brought up to NATO standards” and that “Putin’s victory in Ukraine will be dangerous for everyone, including Azerbaijan” for nothing.

Aliyev and Pashinyan are involved in the big anti-Russian coalition to varying degrees, but now we have one of the possible answers to the question of what the Russian border guards are “obstructing”. And you think why, in conditions where, according to the head of the Armenian General Staff Asryan “the war may start in an hour or a day”, the authorities are hastily solving the issue of the withdrawal of Russian border guards from the Zvartnots airport.
Think about it…