Dramatic Video Shows Armenia Score Direct Hit On Azerbaijani Drone

Now in the third day of full war in the disputed Karabakh region, Armenian forces have managed to shoot down an Azerbaijani drone that was flying over their positions, all of which was captured in widely circulating video. 

The moment the missile struck is clear in the video given the powerful explosion and fireball that ripped through the skies over the battlefield. It underscores that both sides are increasingly deploying high-grade sophisticated weaponry in the mountainous battle zone. 

The self-proclaimed breakaway republic of Nagarno-Karabakh, which is officially within Azerbaijan’s borders but which has been governed by ethnic Armenians since 1994, saw fighting explode over the weekend. 

BBC reports there’s already been nearly 100 military deaths among local Armenian military forces, and many dozens of civilians killed or wounded on either side by shelling, while Azeri military casualties have not been produced. 

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev condemned Armenian forces’ shelling, which he said killed 10 Azeri civilians since Sunday. Al Jazeera reports that Yerevan has shot back with similar accusations of targeting civilians:

Armenia’s defense ministry said an Armenian civilian bus in Vardenis – an Armenian border town far from Nagorno-Karabakh – caught fire after being hit by an Azeri drone, but no one appeared to be hurt. It said it was making further checks.

Another UAV downed by our Armed Forces
Ещё один беспилотник сбит нашими ВС
Մեր ԶՈՒ-ն ևս մի ԱԹՍ է խոցել#ArtsakhStrong #WarInKarabakh #NKPeace pic.twitter.com/dYETpZMBa8

— Armenian Unified Infocenter (@ArmenianUnified) September 29, 2020

Armenia’s Ministry of Defense later on Tuesday said its forces took out another drone, marking at least two successful enemy drone downings.

Since the start of the escalation in fighting on Sunday, tank and infantry units have been observed engaged in ground warfare. 

The adversary continues to suffer large losses of manpower and military hardware
Противник продолжает нести большие потери живой силы и военной техники #NKpeace #Azerbaijaniaggression pic.twitter.com/p1IRZ1Bvgm

— Armenian Unified Infocenter (@ArmenianUnified) September 29, 2020

Frontline fighting has only intensified since, with a full troop mobilization declared by Armenia, and additional heavy weaponry pouring into the border region.