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Kamikaze Drones, Russian Missiles Jolt Oldest Ex-Soviet Feud

  • Tensions mounting after worst outbreak of fighting in decades
  • Arms race between Armenia, Azerbaijan sidelining peace efforts
A soldier of the defense army of Nagorny Karabakh walks past a damaged military vehicle in the village of Talish, some 80km north of Karabakh's capital Stepanakert, on April 6, 2016. The global community must recognise the right of the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region to determine its own future, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian said on April 6 after four days of deadly clashes that unsettled the West. / AFP / KAREN MINASYAN (Photo credit should read KAREN MINASYAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Photographer: KAREN MINASYAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Old grievances are being aired with new force in the former Soviet Union’s longest-running conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, technically at war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region despite a cease-fire brokered by Russia 22 years ago, are beefing up their arsenals just seven months after the worst fighting in two decades. Armenia has acquired Russian-made Iskander ballistic missiles, while Azerbaijan says it’s tested combat drones produced with Israel and is in talks with Pakistan to buy high-tech weapons.