Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the death of 49 Armenian soldiers in battles on the border with Azerbaijan. He announced this during a speech in parliament, reports News AM.
"At the moment we have 49 casualties confirmed by the Department of Defense, but I must also note that this number is unfortunately not final."
Pashinyan claims that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched offensive actions in the direction of Armenia in four directions, later two or three more directions were added to them. The Armenian Defense Ministry has released a video, which, according to the ministry, shows footage of the Azerbaijani military entering the territory of Armenia.
According to Pashinyan, Azerbaijan is trying to imagine that the shelling was a response to provocations from Armenia. He claims that this information is not true.
On the night of September 13, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced shelling from Azerbaijan on Armenian positions using artillery, mortars and UAVs. Pashinyan decided to seek help from Russia, the UN Security Council and the CSTO. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denies information about its invasion, calls the statements of the Armenian Defense Ministry absurd, and also accuses Armenia of provocations and planting mines on the supply roads of Azerbaijani units.
The escalation of the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh took place on September 27, 2020. On the night of November 10, Pashinyan, together with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, adopted a tripartite statement on a ceasefire, the entry of peacekeepers into Nagorno-Karabakh and the transfer of a number of regions in the region to Azerbaijan. In Armenia, because of this decision, protests and demonstrations for the resignation of Pashinyan began. In April of this year, large-scale protests took place in Armenia after the prime minister's statements that the international community expects the Armenian side to lower the bar on demands for the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. A crowd of thousands of protesters blocked the streets and demanded Pashinyan's resignation because of his intentions to make concessions to Azerbaijan on the Karabakh issue.