Russian peacekeepers started withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh: Kremlin

Russian peacekeepers begin withdrawing from Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan regains control, sparking tensions and potential further conflict.

Russian peacekeepers have begun withdrawing from Nagorno-Karabakh following Azerbaijan's recapture of the disputed territory from Armenian separatists last year, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Azerbaijani state media reported this week that Russian troops had begun leaving positions held as part of a Moscow-brokered 2020 ceasefire between Baku and Yerevan.

They posted videos and photos showing armoured vehicles with Russian flags purportedly driving out of the territory.

Asked on Wednesday about the reports that Russian peacekeepers had started a withdrawal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Yes, that's true."

He did not provide further details.

An advisor to Azerbaijan's President said the decision had been agreed between Baku and Moscow at the "highest levels."

"The process has already started. The Defence Ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia are carrying out the necessary measures," state media quoted Hikmet Hajiyev, President Ilham Aliyev's foreign policy advisor, as saying.