ArmInfo.Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told reporters about the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Humanitarian Response Center.
So, to clarify the journalists, whether the Russian peacekeeping mission in Karabakh is really expanding, taking into account the fact that, among other things, doctors and specialists are sent there to solve heat supply issues, Peskov noted that the Humanitarian Response Center is dealing with problems that were aggravated by the war in Nagorno Karabakh, the peacekeeping mission performs other functions.
"No, this is a mistaken impression. On the one hand, there is no need to completely separate them, but there is also no need to confuse the mission of our military peacekeepers, who are on the line of contact of the conflicting parties, with a humanitarian center - a joint Humanitarian Center that is open and functioning there, in fact, is gaining momentum," Peskov said, adding that the Humanitarian Center is designed to solve numerous problems that have been exacerbated by the war.
He also rejected claims that what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh gives reason to expect an aggravation of the situation in the Donbass and Kiev's attempts to regain control of the region.
At the same time, Peskov did not comment on the statement of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that he discussed with Russian leader Vladimir Putin the possibility of expanding efforts to maintain the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh together with other countries in the region. The Kremlin spokesman stressed that he had nothing to say other than what was published in the official press release.
"During the telephone conversation, the issue of fulfilling the agreements of President Putin, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan was discussed. Also, the focus was on the modalities of joint work within the framework of the joint monitoring center," Peskov stated.
The core of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is made up of units of the 15th separate motorized rifle (peacekeeping) brigade of the Central Military District. The transfer of Russian peacekeepers from Ulyanovsk was carried out by Il-76 military transport aircraft. Russia sent a peacekeeping contingent headquartered in Stepanakert to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone: 1,960 servicemen, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 units of vehicles and special equipment. In parallel with this, the International Center for Humanitarian Response is deploying in Stepanakert, designed to assist the population in overcoming the humanitarian consequences of the war.