STEPANAKERT, NKR (A.W.)—Two Armenian servicemen were killed in the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) on the night of April 7-8, three days after the NKR Defense Army and the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire on the Line of Contact (LoC), on April 5.
According to a statement released by the NKR Ministry of Defense, the most intense ceasefire violations were registered in the northern direction—around Talish—and resulted in the death of contractual serviceman Hratch Muradyan (b. 1983). Two other servicemen were also injured in the area, while serviceman Gevorg Mghdesyan (b. 1996) was killed in the northeastern direction. The details of Mghdesyan’s death have not yet been fully disclosed by the ministry, as the incident is still under investigation.
Azerbaijani forces fired more than 2,000 shots from various caliber weapons, including two 60-millimeter mortar shells, according to the ministry.
In a separate statement, the NKR Ministry of Defense announced that members of the NKR Defense Army brought down an Azerbaijani drone around 11 p.m. on April 7. The ministry published photographs from the incident, though no further details were provided.
Spokesperson for the NKR President Davit Babayan said in a tweet that the drone was flying over the NKR capital Stepanakert when the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group co-chairs were meeting with NKR President Bako Sahakyan. “#Azerbaijan sent a #drone to #Stepanakert when the #OSCE #Co-Chairs were meeting the #Karabagh President,” read the first tweet, followed with, “#Azerbaijani #drone in #Karabagh while the #OSCE co-chairs are there with a peacekeeping mission is a combination of #terrorism and idiocy.”
Sides to Exchange Bodies of Killed Servicemen
The NKR Defense Army and the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan agreed on an exchange of bodies of the servicemen killed since April 2, which is scheduled to take place from 3-8 p.m. on April 8. According to NKR Defense Army Press Secretary Senor Hasratyan, a strict ceasefire will go into effect on the northeastern and southeastern directions of the LoC.
Speaking to Armenia’s Yerkir news outlet, Hasratyan said that the agreement to exchange bodies was made possible by the International Red Cross. He also said that the OSCE Minsk Group chairman-in-office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk will be present at the exchange.
While speaking to Yerkir, Hasratyan also confirmed the downing of the drone and announced that a video showing the incident will be officially released soon.
Need to put all efforts in the detection and destruction of all enemy drones.
These present as one of the worst current developments in the ceasefire violations by the Azeris, who criminally target innocent civilians.