With Azerbaijani demonstrators settling in for the long haul on the Lachin Corridor, Armenia is questioning whether Moscow is willing or able to end the standoff.
The blockade appears to be part of an increasing pressure campaign on the road and the Armenians who depend on it, and the protesters appeared to be ready to stay.
Some Azerbaijanis cheered their representatives standing up to a Russian presence they consider pro-Armenian. Others, though, pointed out the hypocrisy.
The drills included a crossing of the river that forms the Azerbaijan-Iran border, mirroring the threat that Iran’s armed forces had made weeks earlier.
The Russian president and several other post-Soviet counterparts are in Yerevan for a CSTO summit, at a time when many Armenians think the organization hasn’t been doing its job.
A highly touted deal between Baku and Brussels was meant to wean Europe off Russian gas. But is Azerbaijan now importing Russian gas itself in order to meet its obligations to Europe?
Questioning the territorial integrity of the neighboring country, once a taboo topic, is increasingly entering official discourse both in Baku and Tehran.
The president claimed “trained militants” were behind nationwide unrest in January. Ten months later, no evidence has come to light supporting his claim.