In an interview with Govorit Moskva radio station on October 5, Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, said that the days of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh are numbered. 

"The Russian peacekeeping contingent no longer has anyone to protect," he added. Zatulin emphasized that Azerbaijan's offensive had dealt a blow to Russia's positions.

"The arrest of Sahakyan and Ghukasyan, made actually in front of the eyes of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, in my opinion, is a very serious reproach not only to the treacherous authorities in Armenia but also to the function that we took upon ourselves - peacekeeping in this region. Some Russian officials have gone so far as to publicly declare that no blame should be found for the Armenians' withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh - it was a voluntary act. This is an ugly statement that compromises Russia as a peacemaker. The fact that all Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh means that they have stopped believing that our peacekeeping contingent can protect them. Obviously, under any circumstances, the days of our contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh are numbered because who will it protect if no one is left there? It will not monitor the street traffic rules in Stepanakert, which is now officially called Khankendi by the Azerbaijanis. It is just a matter of time and not much time at that. This is what happened as a result of the Azerbaijani offensive, which dealt a blow to our positions in the region," the official noted.

Konstantin Zatulin added that Baku's actions compromised Russia as a strong power. "In this regard, talks have started in Georgia about reclaiming Abkhazia and South Ossetia," the MP noted. "People who find some advantages in the fact that Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity do not understand what circles on the water after that spread throughout the Caucasus, and how it compromised Russia as a strong power that can pursue its line in the region. Already in Georgia, there was talk of following Azerbaijan's example and reclaiming Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the same way. Of course, this will not happen, but the fact that Saakashvili's supporters have reared their heads there and elsewhere again shows that Azerbaijan's example is contagious. I think that Azerbaijan made a big mistake because it overdid the arrests and the fact that it actually expelled Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. This will be long overlaid on Azerbaijan's image, on its opportunities in the world and so on, whatever anyone is looking for benefits, oil products and everything else," Zatulin concluded.