*This is a developing story and will be updated as new information comes in.
In a substantial escalation of violence, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire agreement in Karabakh (Artsakh) late Thursday evening. According official reports, six servicemen have been wounded on the Armenian side, two of whom are in critical condition.
This is the largest escalation of violence in the region since December 2020 when, a month after the signing of the ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan attacked and captured new territories in Karabakh’s Hadrut region. Dozens of Armenian servicemen were taken as prisoners and continue to remain in Azerbaijan until today.
It is unclear if Russian peacekeepers were in the vicinity of Thursday’s attacks. So far, there has been no response from Russia.
Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan posted on his Facebook page that the area of escalation is Karabakh’s Nor Shen community. Shots were fired in the direction of several other communities in southern Karabakh.
“The presence of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the vicinity of Armenian civilian communities is a serious threat to the security and peace of the people, and a violation of their right to life,” Tatoyan added.
Minutes after the attack, Karabakh’s Ministry of Defense sent out a press release saying that it “continues to adhere to the ceasefire agreement and calls on the Azerbaijani side to refrain from acts that are destabilizing.”
