A year on from a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, fresh skirmishes broke out along the border on Tuesday after a week of deteriorating relations.
The defence ministries of both countries confirmed the fighting and exchanged accusations of provocations by the other side.
Armenia’s defence ministry said there are “fatalities and wounded” among its troops, adding that the death toll is yet to be confirmed, while it also stated that its forces “lost control of two military positions”.
The defence ministry of Azerbaijan claimed two of its soldiers were wounded during the exchange in the districts of Kelbajar-Gegharkunik and Lachin-Syunik, stating that “sudden military operation has been launched” in response to the alleged Armenian incursion.
Both sides are claiming that the skirmishes involved the use of artillery and armoured vehicles.
The situation remained tense on Tuesday afternoon as clashes continued in the latest cycle of violence following a year of tensions after the 2020 war in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh ended with a Russian-brokered peace deal.
The former Soviet states of Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a bloody war over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s.
Thousands were killed on both sides, while hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.
The war ended with a truce in 1994, although there has been sporadic violence since as the dispute remains unresolved.