Military analysts assess strengths of parties in Karabakh conflict

The Azerbaijani Army is better armed than the formations of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia combined, but the training of Armenian militaries should not be underestimated, Russian analysts believe. Baku is not satisfied with the formula of a peaceful conflict settlement; Azerbaijan demands full control over the territories it treats as its occupied ones, Azad Isazade, a military analyst, has noted.

On October 21, Azerbaijan announced the establishment of its control over 119 dwelling settlements.

Azad Isazade believes that now the Azerbaijan's precondition for peace may be the withdrawal of troops from all the territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh, after which the issue of the status of the Armenian population in these territories can be considered, Mr Isazade has stated.

The silence of the Ministries of Defence (MoDs) of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia can be interpreted as unwillingness to accept the retreat of the Armenian Army and put up with the forced withdrawal from earlier controlled territories, Alexander Perendjiev, a political analyst, believes.

Although Pashinyan has acknowledged the retreat of the Armenian Army, the data declared by the parties on the advancement of their troops and combat losses are contradictory, said Anatoly Tsyganok, the head of the Centre for Military Forecasting. He is inclined to trust the Armenia's data on Turkey's help to Azerbaijan.

Recently, the Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh has resorted to the tactics of entrapments (when the enemy is surrounded and then liquidated, – note of the "Caucasian Knot"), Mr Tsyganok has noted. With the help of this tactics, within a few days, the Karabakh militaries managed to inflict losses on Azerbaijani militaries.

Each party is waging a powerful information war, by exaggerating its achievement, Vasily Dandykin, an expert, believes.