Information war continues in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Armenian Defense Ministry has reported about a sabotage operation organized by Azerbaijan on the contact line of forces. Azerbaijan was reported using firearms and grenades, suffering losses from counter-fire. Azerbaijan denied the information and called it an information provocation.

Andrey Petrov, deputy director general of the M.V. Lomonosov MSU Center for Information and Analysis, called the report a product for Armenian consumers to create new tensions and drag out the peace process. He noted that there were no reports about casualties. The OSCE mission monitoring the situation has neither confirmed nor denied sabotage.

Petrov considers Karabakh the best topic to draw the attention of the Armenian population from the pitiful economic situation in the country. The population hears about crisis, unemployment, growing migration, reductions of the dram rate and of cash transfers from Russia. Reports about the heroism of the military serves to compensate for the said setbacks, assumes the expert.

Arzu Nagiyev, a security expert, explained that such reports were providing information support to attempts by the Armenian army at breaking the contact line. Such attempts are made every day, according to the analyst. In his words, attempts to breach the line had recently intensified because of the weakness of the Armenian army, as confirmed by Defense Minister Seyran Oganyan.

Nagiyev is certain that the latest report was a provocation hinting at preparations for a real provocation in Armenia. The expert reminded that it could also be a reaction to the CSTO meeting. He reminded that attendees of the talks had reiterated the need for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.