The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan on Wednesday confirmed the Russian military contingent had completely withdrawn from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The personnel, weapons, and equipment of the contingent of peacekeepers have completely left our territory," the statement read. A video accompanying the announcement shows military equipment bearing the Russian flag leaving the territory of Azerbaijan.

Moscow has yet to issue a statement regarding this development.

The Russian troops were initially deployed to the Lachin Corridor in the fall of 2020, following a conflict in which Azerbaijan regained significant territory previously controlled by ethnic Armenians since the 1990s. According to the peace agreement between the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia, the Russian contingent was assigned to carry out peacekeeping duties and was expected to remain for five years, with the possibility of extension.

In the autumn of 2023, a brief military campaign by Azerbaijan led to Baku gaining control over the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region, resulting in the dissolution of the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Facing widespread criticism from Yerevan, Russia clarified that its peacekeeping contingent's mandate did not include preventing new hostilities from Azerbaijan. The Russian military facilitated the evacuation of ethnic Armenians from Karabakh. During the conflict, several Russian soldiers were killed, which Baku attributed to an accident.

Despite earlier announcements in April that the Russian troops would leave ahead of schedule, they had remained in Nagorno-Karabakh until this recent departure.