20-Year-Old Young Man Shot Dead in Nagorno Karabakh

At around 5:30 pm on Mar. 17, in the eastern (Askeran) segment of the Nagorno Karabakh–Azerbaijan Line of Contact, Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army soldier Aharon Hayrpaetyan, 20, was mortally wounded by a bullet fired from Azerbaijan’s side of the border. Immediately after being shot, Hayrapetyan was taken to the military hospital where, at 6:59 pm, he was pronounced dead, reports the NKR Defense Army press service.

“That the usual attack by Azerbaijan’s army was carried out only an hour after the exchange of prisoners that took place within the framework of the Mar. 5 trilateral agreement in Sochi and almost at the same defense position, speaks to the fact that the Azerbaijani side not only doesn’t respect the ceasefire regime, but also is deliberately trying to avoid any mission aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict. A circumstance, which undoubtedly should receive an appropriate appraisal by international organizations dealing with the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict,” reads the press statement.