Alexei Venediktov: “There’s still no answer to the painful question about the Iskander missiles”
A story about debris of the Russian Iskander missle found not far from the recently liberated Azerbaijani city of Shusha is being discussed for a few days. However, nobody has clarified the issue. On Friday, the senior staff officer of the Azerbaijan Demining Agency, Idris Ismailov, stated that a missile was launched from the Iskander ballistic missile system, and its debris was found distantly in 780 m from each other.
The story made big news as, according to Azerbaijani experts, it was concluded during checking an identification number of the missile (9M723) that the debris belonged to the Iskander-M missile system rather than to the Iskander-E, an export version, which was in Armenian services.
Citing his own sources, Alexei Venediktov, Editor-in-Chief of Echo of Moscow Radio Network, told on air that when Ilham Aliyev got information on the marking, he called Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone. “The marking on the Iskander missiles shows that it’s not an export version, not a version that was sold to Armenia or anyone else. 9M723 missiles are in Russian service exclusively,” Venediktov said.
In late February, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated that during the Second Karabakh War Russian, Iskander missiles in Armenian service didn’t explode “or exploded only 10% of them.” Venediktov commented: “When Pashinyan talked about Iskander missiles, everybody hissed him off, made a mock of him, especially Russian Defense Ministry. Putin said and Peskov repeated: “Iskander missiles were not used”.”
According to Editor-in-Chief of Echo of Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “failed to say anything” about the Iskander missiles at the summit of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council in which heads of Foreign Ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia participated.
“As far as I understand, Putin ordered to figure it out… A launch of an Iskander missile is followed by a satellite. Nothing was launched from Gyumri base; at least, satellites (not only ours) showed that. I think somebody will have to answer the question: the military to Putin, Putin to Aliyev. As this is a serious issue, a painful issue. There is no real answer now.”
Aram I: Mr. Erdogan, our ancestors were massacred by your ancestors, don't try to oppose diaspora to Armenia
24 April 2024 / 14:20
Azerbaijan and Armenia start border delimitation process
23 April 2024 / 11:38
Armenia premier: Our society asks why we continue to be member state of CSTO?
23 April 2024 / 11:30
Ilham Aliyev on his way to Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin
22 April 2024 / 10:39
German Foreign Ministry reacts to agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan on border delimitation
22 April 2024 / 10:32
Is Pashinyan going to attend Putin's inauguration?
17 April 2024 / 14:40
Russian peacekeepers’ pulling out from Nagorno-Karabakh has begun, Kremlin confirms
17 April 2024 / 14:34
Tokayev: Kazakhstan ready to offer platform for Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations
15 April 2024 / 13:37
U.S. refuses to join Israel in retaliatory action against Iran
15 April 2024 / 11:33
Olivier Decottignies: France is providing Armenia military gear everyone’s desperate to get
09 April 2024 / 13:58
Ruben Vardanyan nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
08 April 2024 / 13:48
Serzh Sargsyan says Armenia-EU-US meeting will intensify Russia-West confrontation
05 April 2024 / 14:17
Pashinyan-Blinken-von der Leyen meeting underway in Brussels
05 April 2024 / 14:08
Aliyev expressed to Blinken Baku's dissatisfaction with the US-EU-Armenia trilateral meeting
04 April 2024 / 12:39
Peace process not the focus of Armenia-EU-US meeting – State Dept
02 April 2024 / 14:57