Three Armenian soldiers have been killed in border clashes with Azerbaijan in the gravest escalation between the former Soviet enemies in months.
Azerbaijan had previously reported the death of one of its soldiers along the border on Tuesday.
The Armenian Defence Ministry said in a statement that two servicemen had been wounded in the fighting. However, the soldiers were in stable condition, it added.
Both countries have blamed each other of stoking “provocations” that led to exchange of fire between their soldiers on the border. So far, one Azerbaijani soldier has been slain while the Armenian side is reporting the death of three of its soldiers.
Earlier, Armenia had accused Azerbaijan of targeting its military by artillery and drones in the eastern region of the border area. Azerbaijan has denied the claim.
The deaths represent a serious risk to the Russia-backed ceasefire implemented in November 2020. Nearly 6,000 people were killed on both sides in six months of brutal fighting.
The violence focused on the control for Nagorno-Karabakh region. The area is sporadically-populated and is a mountainous region inside Azerbaijan. For decades, Nagorno-Karabakh was under the control of the Republic of Artsakh, which was supported by Armenia.
Under the 2020 ceasefire agreement, Armenia returned a considerable portion of the territory that was controlled by the splinter region. Those areas included Kalbajar, the location where Azerbaijan reported that its soldier had been slain.
