Armenia and Azerbaijan reached on Tuesday a Russia-brokered ceasefire to end violent clashes along their shared border, Yerevan’s defense ministry said.

“Under the mediation of the Russian side, an agreement was reached to cease fire at Armenia's eastern border from 18:30 (1430 GMT). The situation has relatively stabilized,” the ministry said.

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The ministry added that at least one Armenian soldier died in the clashes, and that the number of wounded was still being determined. It said 12 of its soldiers were captured.

Armenia had asked Moscow to help defend it after the worst fighting since a 44-day war last year between ethnic Armenian forces and the Azeri army over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave that killed at least 6,500 people.

The Azeri defense ministry said it had responded to large-scale “provocations” after Armenian forces shelled Azeri army positions, and that its own operation had been successful.

With Reuters