Ukrainian intel: Russia boosts military presence in Armenia

The Kremlin is accelerating the build-up of its military base in Gyumri, Armenia, in a move aimed at increasing political and military pressure on South Caucasus nations, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (GUR) said on July 6.

"The personnel are being recruited from among the servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces who serve in the Rostov and Volgograd regions, as well as in the temporarily occupied Crimea. In addition, Russia is actively seeking volunteers among representatives of the enslaved peoples of the Caucasus - in particular, in North Ossetia and Adygea," the GUR said on Telegram, per Caliber.Az.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, described the deployment as part of a broader Kremlin strategy to destabilise global security.

“Alongside fueling interethnic tensions, Moscow is reinforcing its military presence in the Caucasus. It is likely that the deterioration in relations between Azerbaijan and Russia was being prepared in advance,” Yusov said.

The current escalation follows a series of events that have strained Russia-Azerbaijan relations. On June 27, Russian FSB forces conducted a raid in Yekaterinburg, targeting ethnic Azerbaijanis suspected of involvement in murders dating back to the early 2000s. The operation resulted in the deaths of two Azerbaijani men and the detention of over 50 others.

Azerbaijani authorities condemned the raid as “ethnically motivated” and accused Russian forces of torture and extrajudicial killings. The incident prompted Baku to cancel Russian cultural events, bar Russian officials from entering Azerbaijan, and raid the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan, a Kremlin-funded media outlet, on June 30. Two journalists, identified as FSB agents, were among those detained.

By Khagan Isayev