RRussia has accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire agreement with Armenia. A unit of the Azerbaijani armed forces crossed a demarcation line in the Shusha district on Saturday, violating the November 9, 2020 agreement, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russian soldiers would “take measures aimed at preventing escalation and mutual provocation”. Azerbaijan had been asked to withdraw its troops.
Azerbaijan’s defense ministry earlier said it had taken control of some roads in Nagorno-Karabakh. Units of the Azerbaijani army had implemented “necessary control measures” to prevent arms shipments from Armenia via dirt roads north of Lachin.
Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia have been at odds over the border region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union. After fighting that left more than 6,500 dead in 2020, Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement that forced Armenia to give up large areas.
Since mid-December, Azerbaijanis have been blocking the only road to Nagorno-Karabakh, the Lachin Corridor, severely affecting supplies for the enclave’s 120,000 residents.
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