A few days ago, the Azerbaijan military dropped a video that began trending on twitter, mostly because it is so strange.
The video features shots of choppers, military hardware, and the soldiers. As comments on Twitter have pointed out, the video feels like a Eurovision number, though with more automatic weapons. This, however, is not the first time Azerbaijan has dropped a propagandistic clip at a time of tension across Europe.
Earlier this week, fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but has been under Armenian control since the early 1990s. In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence from Azerbaijan, and after a period of war, a truce was declared in 1994.
Since the re-emergence of fighting on Sunday, dozens have been reported killed and hundreds more wounded. The fighting has resulted in rising tension between the NATO allies France and Turkey and has led to fears of wider conflict across Europe. Meanwhile, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan have dismissed suggestions of holding peace talks, each accusing the other of obstructing negotiations.
If you’d like to read more about the conflict, click here. If you want to read more about military traditions, read about 3 things you need to know before attending a military wedding here.