Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire that ended conflict in Azerbaijan and Armenia in November breached, says Russian army

The Russian army on Saturday reported a violation of the ceasefire that ended the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in November in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“One case of ceasefire violation was reported on 11 December in the Hadrut district,” said a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, which has deployed peacekeepers to the region.

The Armenian army reported attacks from Azerbaijan on two villages that are under the control of Karabakh forces.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said “adequate countermeasures” had been taken against “provocations” from the other side but added that the truce was “currently being respected”.

A spokesman for the Russian peacekeeping forces confirmed “exchanges of fire with automatic weapons”, telling the Ria Novosti press agency that requests to respect the ceasefire had been sent to both parties.

Earlier in the day, Karabakh forces announced that three of their fighters had been wounded in an attack by Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijani troops attacked Armenian fighters on Friday evening and “three were wounded in the ensuing firefight”, the territorial defence ministry said.