Russia's General Staff announces peacekeeper deployment

Russian peacekeepers have deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of peacekeeping operations, Russia's General Staff announced Wednesday.

A total of 1,960 peacekeepers will be deployed in the region after a ceasefire was agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan with the coordination of Russia.

They will be responsible for monitoring ceasefire violations, ensuring the safety of transit transport and stopping any illegal actions against the civilian population, Russia's General Staff said in a briefing Wednesday.

Lieutenant General Sergey Rudskoy, the head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, confirmed in the briefing that the peacekeepers had taken control and established observation posts in the Lachin corridor, a narrow strip which connects Armenia with the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Rudskoy added that the peacekeepers had undergone training of operating under the norms of international humanitarian law in armed conflicts, and nearly all had experience with humanitarian operations in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a 1994 truce ended a separatist war in which an estimated 30,000 people died. Since then, sporadic clashes erupted, and full-scale fighting began on Sept. 27.

Several cease-fires had been called but were almost immediately violated.

However, the agreement announced early Tuesday appeared more likely to take hold because Azerbaijan has made significant advances, including taking control of the strategically key city of Shushi on Sunday.