Azerbaijan Instigates Another Act of Aggression

May 29

4:55 p.m.: Armenia has applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) seeking interim measures in the case of the two Armenian servicemen kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces on May 26.

May 28

12:32 p.m.: Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, tweeted: “Armenia never learns from past mistakes! Instead of apologizing for subversive actions, the Armenian side spreads fake narrative on imagined infiltration ops by Azerbaijan. Armenia must end provocations, return detained Azerbaijani soldiers, release info on 3890 missing persons.”

May 27

6:38 p.m.: Armenia’s Foreign Ministry states that the illegal abduction of two Armenian servicemen by Azerbaijan is an “attempt to deviate from its own obligations.” The MFA calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to release them and fulfill their commitment to release all Armenian POWs in line with the trilateral statement of November 2020 and calls of international partners and institutions.

1:44 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry identifies the two servicemen as Harutyun Yurik Hovakimyan and Karen Ashot Ghazaryan. “Intensive activities are underway to find out the circumstances of the illegal abduction of Armenian servicemen by Azerbaijan,” the MoD stated.

11:30 a.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that a supply vehicle operated by the two servicemen of the Armenian Armed Forces, who were delivering provisions and water to a combat outpost at 7 p.m. on May 26, was found on an inter-positional road.

“On May 26, Azerbaijani media outlets, afterward the State Border Service of Azerbaijan, disseminated misinformation claiming that the Armenian side launched a sabotage-infiltration attempt and that two servicemen of the Armenian Armed forces had been apprehended.

Once again, we inform that the information disseminated by the State Border Service of Azerbaijan regarding the Armenian side’s allegedly sabotage-infiltration attempt is an absolute falsehood and disinformation. The Armenian side has enough proof to deny it, which will be presented to the international partners,” the statement by the Ministry reads. “There was also a weapon of one of the servicemen left in the vehicle, which proves that even if the servicemen got out of the car and had lost their bearings in the area, the servicemen could not have sabotage objectives in mind.”

Intensive activities are underway to find out the circumstances of the illegal abduction of Armenian servicemen by Azerbaijan.

May 26

8:23 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry refutes the information disseminated in Azerbaijani media outlets that the Armenian side had made an infiltration attempt in the southeastern part of the border zone, calling it absolutely false.

May 23

8:24 a.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that from 12:20 a.m. to 1:10 a.m., Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire from different caliber firearms in the direction of Armenian military positions near Kutakan village in the Gegharkunik region. As of 8 a.m., the situation is relatively stable on the borderline.

May 18

6:19 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that at around 5:20 p.m., units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces fired mortars against Armenian combat positions located in the direction of Norabak in the region of Gegharkunik. There are no losses on the Armenian side and the situation is relatively stable.

May 17

8:26 p.m.: According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the serviceman killed as a result of Azerbaijani shooting in the direction of Sotk is Edgar Suleymanyan born in 2003. 

7:26 p.m.: Aram Torosyan, the speaker of Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that the serviceman wounded as a result of the Azerbaijani shooting near Sotk died on the way to the hospital. The paramedic’s life is not in danger. 

5:12 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that at around 4:15 p.m., the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire against the Armenian combat positions located near Sotk in Armenia’s Gegharkunik region. As a result an Armenian serviceman was wounded. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire at the ambulance carrying the wounded serviceman. The paramedic accompanying the wounded soldier was also wounded.

May 12

11:10 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that as of 11:10 p.m., the decrease in the intensity of the shooting in Sotk, Kut and Verin Shorzha is being maintained. The Armenian side has one casualty and two wounded. The killed serviceman is Narek Baghdasaryan (b. 2003).

The Defense Ministry also urges people to refrain from spreading videos being disseminated by Azerbaijan as they are fake, some of which are from the 44-day war.

10:05 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that as of 10 p.m., the decrease in the intensity of the shooting in Sotk and Kut is being maintained. However, starting from 9:50 p.m., Azerbaijani forces began firing on Armenian positions in Verin Shorzha. By 10:15 p.m., the MOD reported that the situation had stabilized in Verin Shorzha as well.

9:45 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that as a result of Azerbaijani fire, the Armenian side has one dead, one wounded.

9 p.m.: According to Defense Ministry speaker Aram Torosyan, as of 9 p.m. the intensity of Azerbaijani fire in the direction of Kut and Sotk has significantly decreased. 

8:20 p.m.: Aram Torosyan, the speaker of Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that as of 8 p.m., Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue to fire in the direction of Armenian combat positions located near the villages of Kut and Sotk in Armenia’s Gegharkunik region.

4:50 p.m.: According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, Azerbaijani forces fired on Armenian positions in the direction of the village of Kut in the Gegharkunik region using large-caliber firearms.

10:42 a.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that at around 10 a.m. Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire in the Sotk area using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Two Armenian servicemen were wounded. 

May 11 

9:32 p.m.: In a press briefing, Vedant Patel, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said the violence in Sotk “undermines the progress made by Armenia and Azerbaijan toward a durable and dignified peace.” He added that the U.S. calls on the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to agree in their upcoming meeting in Brussels to “distance their forces along the border”, as discussed by Secretary Blinken during their talks in Washington in early May.

8:16 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense MInistry reports that Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire in the direction of Verin Shorzha using mortars. There are no losses on the Armenian side.

6:25 p.m.: Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire again this evening using artillery in the direction of the village of Norabak in Gegharkunik region. The Armenian side does not have any casualties.

5:46 p.m.: Defense Ministry speaker Aram Torosyan reports that Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire near Sotk at 5:10 p.m. using mortars. The Armenian side does not have any casualties. As of 5:40 p.m. the situation is relatively stable. 

3:05 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that no significant ceasefire violations were recorded between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. As of 3 p.m., the situation on the front line is relatively stable. 

2:04 p.m.: Aram Torosyan, speaker of Armenia’s Defense Ministry, reports that no significant ceasefire violations were recorded between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. As of 2 p.m., the situation on the front line is relatively stable. 

1:16 p.m.: Defense Ministry spokesperson Aram Torosyan reports that from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Azerbaijani Armed Forces periodically violated the ceasefire in the direction of Sotk. As of 1 p.m. the situation is relatively stable on the borderline. 

11:48 a.m.: The Azerbaijani side has reported one casualty and one wounded soldier as a result of the attack against Armenia near Sotk this morning. 

11 a.m.: During the Cabinet meeting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Azerbaijan’s actions a provocation stating that they are aimed at nullifying the progress achieved during the negotiations in Washington on May 1-4. The Prime Minister added that Baku also intends to hinder the meetings planned in Brussels on May 14 and Chisinau on June 1 with its recent aggression. 

According to Pashinyan, Azerbaijan only needs the negotiations to provoke new military escalations and uses the escalations to nullify any progress made during those negotiations.  

He went on to say that the Azerbaijani side also wants to divert the attention of the international community and Armenian society from the checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor by creating a new crisis in a new area.

10:45 a.m.: According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, as  of 10:45 a.m., the situation on Armenia’s border is relatively stable. 

10:27 a.m.: A statement by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry reads: 

“These repeated violations of one of the fundamental principles of international law — the non-use of force or the threat of force — demonstrate contempt of the Azerbaijani side for the agreements, including the obligations assumed by the Trilateral Statement of Sochi on October 31, 2022.

“These actions of Azerbaijan, aimed at destabilizing the situation, are also an open disregard for the meeting held in Washington, the meetings planned in Brussels and Moscow, aimed at the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the efforts made by international partners interested in stability and peace in the South Caucasus.

“We call on the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan to stop the groundless, unjustified and shameful attempts aimed at disrupting the negotiation process by using force and thereby exerting pressure on Armenia.”

10:25 a.m.: Defense Ministry speaker Aram Tororsyan reports that the Armenian side has four wounded as a result of the Azerbaijani attack in the direction of Sotk. The lives of the wounded servicemen are not in danger, their condition is stable. Tensions decreased near Sotk and the situation is relatively stable on other parts of the border. 

10 a.m.: Aram Torosyan, speaker of Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that the tension has decreased significantly on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border near Sotk. The Defense Ministry will issue an additional update regarding the condition of the wounded soldiers. 

9:20 a.m.: Defense Ministry spokesperson Aram Torosyan reports that several Telegram channels of unknown origin are spreading misinformation regarding the number of wounded from the Armenian side. As of 9:20 a.m. that number remains three. The situation in the direction of Sotk has not changed. 

9 a.m.: Aram Tororsyan, the speaker of Armenia’s Defense Ministry, reports that the situation remains unchanged in the direction of Sotk. The situation is also relatively stable in other parts of the border. 

8:45 a.m.: The speaker of Armenia’s Defense Ministry, Aram Torosyan reported that the Azerbaijani attack is ongoing.

8 a.m.: As of 7:20 a.m., Azerbaijani forces continue to fire in the direction of Armenian positions. The Armenian side has three wounded. The Defense Ministry denies accusations by Baku that Armenian Armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijani military positions, as a result of which an Azerbaijani soldier was wounded. The Armenian side also denies reports in Azerbaijani media that Armenia is using Iranian drones. 

6 a.m.: Starting at 6 a.m. local time, Azerbaijani Armed Forces began firing at Armenian positions in Sotk using artillery and mortars. The Armenian side has two wounded.

April 25

1:26 a.m.: At an open debate in the UN Security Council, Azerbaijani representative Yashar Aliyev listed their demands directed at Armenia: “Abide by its international obligations, completely withdraw its Armed Forces and illegal armed formations from the territory of Azerbaijan, return the still occupied eight border villages of Azerbaijan, cease and desist from territorial claims, illegal activities and disinformation, put an end to mine terrorism, shed light on the fate of several thousand Azerbaijanis who went missing during the conflict, redress the harm caused to Azerbaijan, and engage faithfully in negotiations on a peace treaty and the delimitation of the border between the two States.”

April 23

On April 23, at around 11:50 a.m., Artyom Poghosyan, a serviceman of the Ministry of Defense, was lethally wounded by Azerbaijani fire in the direction of an Armenian combat position located in Sotk.

April 20

11:33 p.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported that on April 20, between 3:40 p.m. and 7 p.m., Azerbaijani forces opened fire from different caliber firearms in the direction of Armenian combat positions located in Verin Shorzha, also targeting the engineering works. The ministry reported no losses from the Armenian side and said the situation on the front line is relatively stable.

12:30 p.m.: In a press briefing, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists that 1.4 km out of the 5 km “problematic” section in the Tegh area has been “clarified” by Armenian and Azerbaijani border guards. 

“What do I mean by saying clarified? It means that we and the Azerbaijanis have a common opinion on that section, and our border line passes there. This also means that border guards of Armenia are deployed at a certain distance from that border, and the Azerbaijani border guards also at a certain distance from that border,” Pashinyan said. He added that the “problematic” section was thus reduced to 3.6 km and noted that when border guards work together it can lead to concrete results.

April 17

10:28 a.m.: Armenia’s Defense Ministry reports that on April 16, at around 10:50 p.m., Azerbaijani army units opened fire from different caliber firearms towards the Armenian combat positions located in the direction of Sotk. The Armenian side has no losses and the situation on the front line is “relatively stable”.

On April 11, 2023, at approximately 4 p.m., Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire in the direction of Armenian servicemen carrying out engineering work on defensive positions near Syunik region’s Tegh village. This was reported by Armenia’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Aram Torosyan on his Facebook page.

The Defense Ministry later reported that following this latest “provocation” by Azerbaijan, the Armenian side has four confirmed dead and six injured. The statement goes on to say that the Azerbaijani side has numerous dead and wounded. Information released by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense also confirms numerous casualties on their side.

After the initial attack, at approximately 5:30 p.m., it was reported that units of Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces were “continuing its provocations” by utilizing mortars and that Armenian forces were “taking necessary defensive measures.”

By 7 p.m., the situation had stabilized according to a statement by the Defense Ministry. “Rumors about shelling in the direction of Vardenis at the moment do not correspond to the truth, the mentioned direction is relatively stable at the moment,” the statement read. “Information being disseminated by Azerbaijani news that the Armenian side is utilizing Iranian drones does not correspond to reality. There are no Iranian drones in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.”

The statement goes on to ask people to refrain from disseminating unverified information and to rely solely on official communication. As of 8:30 p.m., the situation continues to remain relatively stable.

Background of the April 11 Escalation

On March 31, Azerbaijani Armed Forces advanced in the territory of Armenia, near Syunik region’s Tegh village. In a statement, Armenia’s National Security Service said that according to agreements reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan in August 2022, from April 1, 2023 the Lachin Corridor will end at the Kornidzor bridge and the route connecting Armenia to the Lachin Corridor will pass entirely through the territory of Armenia by the Kornidzor-Tegh road. After August 2022, a part of the road still passed through the territory of Azerbaijan and was controlled by Russian peacekeepers.

According to agreements reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan on March 29, the border guards of the two countries were to be deployed on both sides of the border along the aforementioned section in the last days of March. Due to misinterpretations of maps during deployment, Azerbaijani units advanced into Armenia’s territory 100-300 meters in five areas, without waiting for pre-arranged adjustments. They started to position themselves and carried out engineering works. It has now been agreed that cartographers from both sides will correct the situation. The NSS also said that the Armenian side was approaching the situation with the logic of preventing a new escalation.

On April 6, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced during a cabinet meeting that the situation around the village of Tegh improved to a certain extent; the deployment points of 7 kilometers out of the 12 km section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in question have been clarified, the works on 5 kilometers are ongoing.