President of Azerbaijan: According to Armenian leadership's admission, their army had nearly 12,000 deserters
Everyone saw clearly on the battlefield who was who.
Operativ Media reports that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said this in his address to the nation from Khankendi on Victory Day.
The head of state noted that the Armenian side had become so arrogant that it was constantly threatening Azerbaijan:
"It threatened us with a new war for new territories and tried to humiliate our dignity with the words 'Karabakh is Armenia, period.' But we answered this on the battlefield, and everyone saw clearly on the battlefield who was who. Not a single person fled or deserted from the Azerbaijani Army. However, according to the admission of the Armenian leadership, there were nearly 12,000 deserters in the Armenian army. Look, that is the difference. By securing complete superiority on the battlefield, the liberation of Shusha on November 8 — the day we celebrate Victory Day — effectively decided the fate of the Second Karabakh War. A day later, on the night of November 9 to 10, Armenia signed an act of capitulation.
"Back then, we also responded to the inappropriate statements of the Armenian leadership. I had stated that 'Karabakh is Azerbaijan, exclamation mark.' We put that exclamation mark right here in Khankendi on September 20, 2023. The one-day anti-terror operation completely paralyzed the 15,000-strong occupying corps of the Armenian army, and as a result of a highly precise and professional military operation, Armenia was forced to surrender for a second time."
