New escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh: sides accuse each other of shelling
The Ministry of Defense of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Republic of Artsakh) reports shelling from the territory under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces. According to the military department, shelling began today at nine in the morning from grenade launchers, several attacks were also made using drones.
The second attack using UAVs on the positions of the Karabakh army in the northwestern section of the demarcation line took place around 15:00.
In turn, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused the Armenian military of deliberately shelling the positions of the Azerbaijani army. The ministry's website reports that as a result of the deliberate actions of "illegal Armenian armed formations on the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed," one conscript soldier died.
- the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, adding that in response to the provocation, "the units of the Azerbaijani army took appropriate measures."
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also stated that the entire responsibility for the incident on the territory of Azerbaijan lies with the political and military leadership of Armenia.
Currently, security on the line of contact in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh is monitored by Russian peacekeepers, who have been there since the fall of 2020. The basis for the ceasefire was a trilateral agreement signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev. At the end of November last year, Pashinyan and Aliyev, with the assistance of Vladimir Putin, signed an additional agreement on the demarcation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
However, at the end of July, shelling on the demarcation line resumed. As a result of the aggravation of the situation, President of the Republic of Artsakh (NKR) Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree according to which a partial mobilization was announced in the republic. In turn, the head of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Zakir Hasanov, ordered the army to "resolutely" suppress possible provocations by Armenia.
At present, Russian peacekeepers are taking measures to stabilize the situation, Stepanakert's Defense Ministry reported.
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