YEREVAN, March 13. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the situation in the region with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Monday and stressed the importance of Russia's targeted response for overcoming the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, the press service of the Armenian Cabinet said.

"The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh due to Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor was discussed during the phone conversation. In this context, Prime Minister Pashinyan touched upon the terrorist operation carried out by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 5 and its aftermath," the press service said.

"In the context of overcoming the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian prime minister stressed the importance of Russia's targeted response," the statement noted.

According to the Armenian side, on March 5, three police officers from the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic were shot dead and one was wounded when a police car was shelled by a sabotage group of the Azerbaijani military.

On March 6, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia was deeply concerned about escalating tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh and was calling on the sides to exercise restraint.

"We express serious concern about the escalating tensions in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There have been repeated ceasefire violations in recent days. An armed incident that took place on March 5 resulted in loss of life on both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides," the diplomat said.