The home of Karmir Shuka village resident in Artsakh's Martuni region was damaged as a result of Azerbaijani shelling

Azerbaijani forces opened fire at positions in Armenia and Artsakh on Thursday causing damage to property and alarming residents, in their continued aggression against Armenians.

The Artsakh Defense Ministry reported that beginning on Wednesday night and also at around 11:45 a.m. local time on Thursday shots were fired on the villages of Karmir Shuka, Tonashen and Taghavart in Artsakh’s Martuni region.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported that at around noon on Thursday Azerbaijani forces opened fire at Armenian Armed Forces positions in the eastern section of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“On July 27 and 28, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces violated the ceasefire and opened fire from various caliber small arms in the direction of Artsakh Defense Army military positions located respectively in the section of Tonashen and Karmir Shuka, Taghavard. There are no casualties from the Armenian side. The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the Republic of Artsakh was notified about the incident,” the Artsakh Ministry of Defense said.

A Karmir Shuka resident told the Martuni regional police department that his kitchen window and the second floor door of his residence were damaged as a result of shelling at around 11:45 a.m, the Artsakh interior ministry reported, adding that the shooting lasted about 20 minutes. The Karmir Shuka resident also said that he collected eight bullet casings from a 7.62 millimeter caliber weapon from his yard.

Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan condemned the latest aggression against the population of Artsakh saying that Azerbaijani forces seek to disrupt the civilian population’s lives.

“This behavior shows that the Azerbaijani leadership continues to pursue a policy of hatred against the people of Artsakh, the use of psychological and physical violence, and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh,” said Stepanyan.

“Even short-term pauses in actions leading to deliberate violations of the rights of the people of Artsakh and false declarations of peace are a tactical part of the ՛theater՛ presented by Azerbaijan, seeking to mislead the international community,” added Stepanyan.

“The real goals and aspirations of the Azerbaijani side should be more than clear for mediators, international organizations, and peacekeepers deployed in Artsakh. Accordingly, any Azerbaijani action that blows smoke in the eyes of the international community should receive its proper assessment and opposition,” said Stepanayan. “The criminal behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities, both in the past and today, has not changed and continues to be pursuit of the same Armenophobic and genocidal goals.”