According to the Human Rights Office of Arstaj – the name by which the separatist region is officially known – in its official profile on the social network X, the number of civilian deaths amounts to 200.. Among these are 10 civilians, five of them children, while more than 40 civilians have been injured, 13 of them minors.

The Azerbaijani authorities have recognized two civilians killed during the anti-terrorist operation, while the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliev, spoke of several dead soldiers, without specifying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed in a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian that “the most acute phase of the conflict” had been overcome and agreed to hold negotiations between Baku and Karabakh representatives on Thursday. “These negotiations will be held through the mediation of the commanders of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” he stressed.

“Ethnic cleansing”

The Kremlin on Wednesday rejected Armenian complaints of “ethnic cleansing” at the hands of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh following the agreement reached between both sides to cease hostilities. “For now there are no reasons to talk about ethnic cleansing,” Peskov said in statements to Russian public television.

Armenian diplomats denounced that the international community tolerates “military ethnic cleansing” carried out by the Azerbaijani army. For this reason, thousands of Karabakhis gathered this Wednesday at the airport of the capital of the enclave, Stepanakert (Jankendi in Azerbaijani), with the aim of being evacuated.

Aliev, who had demanded that the Karabakhs accept Azerbaijani citizenship, promised in his television address that he will guarantee the rights of Armenians living in Karabakh, a territory inhabited by some 120,000 people.