In Armenia, heads of border villages announce advancement of Azerbaijani forces

The Azerbaijani armed forces have advanced deep into the territory of the Syunik and Gegarkunik Regions of Armenia, where a soldier has been killed today, the heads of the Armenian border communities report. Vage Akopyan, the leader of the “Reviving Armenia” Party, announced the presence of 1000 Azerbaijani soldiers in the Armenian territory.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that today, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia has reported about the first person killed as a result of the border conflict: a contract soldier has been killed near the village of Verin Shorzha in the Gegarkunik Region during a shootout with the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Earlier, Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan has reported about the situation near the village of Verin Shorzha: according to his information, on May 12, the Azerbaijani military personnel were threatening local shepherds who took their animals outside the village.

On the same day, a similar situation occurred near the village of Verishen near the Black Lake. “Residents of the border villages claim that they can no longer use their pastures and send animals to barns,” wrote the Armenian Ombudsman on his Facebook page.

On May 14, Gnel Sanosyan, Governor of the Gegarkunik Region, stated that while carrying out the work to mark their positions, the Azerbaijani military personnel approached the villages of Verin Shorzha and Kut. Near the village of Kut, the Azerbaijani soldiers moved deep into the territory of Armenia by almost 2 kilometres, while in other areas – by several hundred metres, the “Radio Azatutyun” quotes the Governor of the Gegarkunik Region as reporting.

The situation in the Syunik Region also remains tense. At the today’s press conference, Vage Akopyan, the leader of the “Reviving Armenia” Party, stated that “a couple of days ago, the Azerbaijani armed forces again moved forward in the region, deep into the territory of Armenia.” According to Vage Akopyan, at present, already more than 1000 Azerbaijani soldiers stay on the territory of Armenia.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 25, 2021 at 06:27 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.