At least three soldiers have been killed in escalating fighting between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The region is under the control of some 2,000 Russian troops. Two Armenian soldiers were killed and 14 were injured, the Nagorno-Karabakh army reported. One soldier on the Azerbaijan side died, the defense ministry in the capital Baku said.
In 2020, both countries waged a six-week war that killed more than 6,500 people. Azerbaijan regained control of much of Nagorno-Karabakh. Since the 1990s, the area, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has been under the control of ethnic Armenian residents, with support from Armenia.
At the end of last year, the conflict flared up again and two Armenian military bases came into the hands of Azerbaijan. After mediation by Russia, the countries agreed on a ceasefire.
“Terrorist actions”
The latest fighting has mainly taken place in the Lachin Corridor, a strip of land connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Azerbaijan reported that it has seized strategic areas in the operation called “Retaliation”, a response to “terrorist” actions by Armenian armed groups. Moscow said it wanted to stabilize the situation.
The European Union called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and remains committed to peace and stability in the South Caucasus. The two former Soviet republics have still not concluded a peace agreement. The foreign ministers of both countries held their first direct talks in Georgia last month.
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