The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has reported shelling of the country's territory by Armenian armed forces. Armenia's Ministry of Defense has denied this information, according to the website of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.
It is reported that on Sunday, April 7, at approximately 17:15, units of the Armenian armed forces from positions near the settlement of Sultanbek in the Pashali district fired small arms at positions of the Azerbaijani army towards the settlement of Şada in the Shahbuz district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
"The units of the Azerbaijani Army took adequate measures in response in the specified direction," the statement said.
At the same time, the Armenian Ministry of Defense dismissed the statement of the Azerbaijani agency as not reflecting reality.
War for Nagorno-Karabakh
The war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border has been ongoing with interruptions for several decades.
In 1988, as the USSR was on the brink of collapse, Moscow loosened its grip on the national republics, and the enclave gradually became a hotspot of tension.
The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh sought reunification with Armenia and declared independence from Azerbaijan. After the collapse of the USSR, in 1992, a full-scale war broke out between the two new countries for control of the region. During the conflict, between 20,000 and 30,000 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee their homes. In 1994, the sides managed to agree on a ceasefire.
From 1994 to 2020, there were periodic clashes along the border between the countries, including the use of drones, heavy weaponry, and special operations on the front lines.
On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan launched an offensive across the line of contact held by Armenian forces and local fighters. A full-scale war erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh, lasting six weeks. According to the International Crisis Group, over 7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides. The hostilities ended with a fragile ceasefire brokered by Russian peacekeeping forces. Armenia had to cede part of the territory it had controlled for decades.
On April 1, 2024, the Ministries of Defense of Azerbaijan and Armenia accused each other of violating the ceasefire regime.
Recently, Azerbaijan accused Armenia of amassing forces and troops near the common border. Yerevan denied Baku's accusations.
For more details on the conflict's outcomes, the mass exodus of Armenians, and whether the Karabakh issue has been definitively resolved, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.