"The need for an immediate end to clashes": Putin and Pashinyan discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, during which the leaders expressed their serious concern over the information received about the participation of illegal armed groups from the Middle East in the hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh.

This was reported on the Kremlin website.

“Vladimir Putin again emphasized the need to immediately stop the hostilities and resume political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict - in line with the statement of the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries (Russia, France, USA) on October 1, 2020,” the statement said.

The previous conversation between the presidents of Russia and Armenia took place on September 29.

Then Putin and Pashinyan noted the need for a ceasefire by the warring parties, and also indicated that the parties to the conflict should take measures to de-escalate the crisis.

Earlier, the representative of the Armenian Defense Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan stated that the Azerbaijani troops struck Stepanakert.

He wrote about this on his Facebook page.

According to Hovhannisyan, there are casualties as a result of the shelling.

“There are numerous destruction of civilian infrastructure, wounded, the rescue service suffered,” he said.

Press Secretary of the President of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Vahram Poghosyan, commenting on the incident, promised a "proportionate response" after the shelling of the city.

"There will be a proportionate response, all responsibility for which will be borne by the Aliyev (President of Azerbaijan. -

) family," he wrote.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, in turn, accused the Armenian Armed Forces of shelling the settlement of Sabirkend on the contact line in Karabakh.

“The enemy is bombarding the settlement of Sabirkend of the Shamkir region from the territory of Armenia and the village of Guzanly of the Aghdam region from the occupied territories with rocket fire,” RIA Novosti quotes a statement from the press service of the department.

In addition, the ministry reported on the shelling of villages.

Among the civilian population, there are killed and wounded, the department noted.

"The Azerbaijani side will take adequate retaliatory measures," the Defense Ministry said.

Artsrun Hovhannisyan, in a conversation with Ruptly, spoke about the situation on the front line in the Hadrut region of Stepanakert. 

“I have just been to the south, they also started shooting there, the artillery is working.

"Smerch" fired about four times - there were four explosions.

Civilians were injured - five people were taken to the hospital.

Then there was an air raid alert, and then I had already left.

I don't know, maybe heavy artillery continues to work there, ”he said.

• Artsrun Hovhannisyan

Meanwhile, it became known that the singer Yulia Chicherina came under fire in Nagorno-Karabakh.

A representative of the artist previously said that he could not get through to her, but later the singer got in touch.

In a conversation with Ruptly, Yulia Chicherina spoke about the incident.

“We ended up in Karabakh.

And first there was an explosion, then something flew, then there was an air raid alert.

These were drones, I saw a huge hole in the bridge.

Then there was something else flying over the settlement itself.

They drove us out of the cars so that they would not explode.

Well, I hid under a canopy of some kind of trading shop.

There was a cat.

And cats, if you want to know, always run away from flights, dogs too.

So the cat saved me, ”Chicherina said.

• Julia Chicherina

Deputy Commander of the Defense Army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Artur Sargsyan previously announced the death of 54 servicemen.

He added that on Friday night, the dynamics of clashes weakened somewhat compared to the previous day.

Meanwhile, the press service of the Armenian government reported that entry to Nagorno-Karabakh from Friday, October 2, will be restricted for security reasons.

“In order to ensure uninterrupted communication between Armenia and Artsakh (self-name of Karabakh) and unloading of roads, the departure of persons from Armenia to Artsakh by vehicles is limited, with the exception of transportations carried out for the needs of the Defense Army and the Artsakh government, as well as in cases of exceptional necessity on the basis of a permit issued by the government of Armenia ”, - reads the message received at the disposal of RIA Novosti.

The press center of the National Security Service specified that checkpoints have been installed at the entrance to Karabakh, the movement of all persons and vehicles will be possible only with the appropriate documents.

At the same time, the Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that it is ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group to restore the ceasefire regime in the region.

“Armenia continues to adhere to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

We will continue to resolutely resist the aggression against Artsakh, at the same time being ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to restore the ceasefire regime established in 1994-1995, ”the ministry said in a statement.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that Yerevan welcomes the condemnation of the use of force in the zone of the Karabakh conflict by the presidents of Russia, the United States and France, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.

In addition, the Armenian Foreign Ministry indicated in its statement that it regards the flights of Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicles in the skies over the country as a step towards exacerbating the conflict.

They said that on the eve of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces used artillery in the direction of the village of Shatvan, Gegharkuniksa region of Armenia, and a shock drone fired a rocket at the settlement of Mets Masrik, as a result of which one person died, two more were injured.

“Later, enemy unmanned aerial vehicles invaded the airspace of Armenia and carried out reconnaissance flights near Yerevan.

All UAVs were destroyed by air defense forces.

Armenia strongly condemns these actions of Azerbaijan and regards them as a step towards the subsequent aggravation of the conflict, ”the statement reads.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Defense of the country reported that the military units of Armenia were brought to a state of full combat readiness.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed by the Presidents of Russia and Belarus Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko during a telephone conversation.

This was reported on the Kremlin website.

"Particular attention is paid to the aggravation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," the message says.

In addition, the co-chairs of the inter-parliamentary commissions for cooperation with the parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the first vice-speaker of the Federation Council Andrei Turchak and the vice-speaker of the Federation Council Yuri Vorobyov called on the parliamentarians in Baku and Yerevan to promote a ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We call upon the deputies of the Millimejlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia to do everything possible to cease fire and bloodshed in order to save the lives of people in the conflict zone, which cannot have a military solution,” they said.