Two Soldiers Killed and Ten Injured Following Attack on Military Equipment in Vardenis Region

Since July 2020, the military-political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been conducting an aggressive war against the Republic of Armenia, violating the trilateral agreement that came into force on May 12, 1994, United Nations Charter, the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Populations in Time of War, and other conventions, as well as norms of international customary humanitarian law. This has included the use of prohibited means and methods of warfare, driven by national hatred, dangerously threatening lives, and unlawfully taking the lives of two or more individuals with the intent of destroying property through explosions, as reported by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.

Since September 27 of this year, one individual has been killed and three others, including one minor, have been injured in the territory of Armenia due to the aggression unleashed by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Additionally, five soldiers have been killed, and eleven others, who were not involved in military operations, have sustained injuries on Armenian territory.

In particular, on September 28, 2020, at around 13:00, the armed forces of Azerbaijan systematically targeted civilian populations and objects in the deep rear areas using missile and artillery equipment. The settlements in the village of Norabak of the Gegharkunik region of Armenia were subjected to artillery fire, where one of the shells fired during these bombardments was discovered.

On September 29, 2020, at around 10:30, driven by national hatred, artillery drones targeted the village of Sotk in Gegharkunik region, resulting in a bus burning and damage to several residential buildings within the settlement, including windows, walls, roofs, and fences, leading to substantial property damage.

On September 30, 2020, at around 02:00, missile and artillery strikes damaged property belonging to a resident of Vardenis city. Parts of the fired missile were found in the yard of the house.

On October 1, 2020, at around 21:00, the armed forces of Azerbaijan targeted and detonated a residential house belonging to a resident of the village of Metsi Masrik in Gegharkunik region using missile artillery and drones, resulting in the death of one civilian and injuring two others.

From 22:55 to 23:24 on October 1, in a field area of Kotayk village, air defense units of the Armenian Ministry of Defense identified and downed a drone that illegally crossed the state border sent by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

From October 1 to 4, munitions and shrapnel fired from various weapons of the armed forces of Azerbaijan were discovered in the areas of Sotk, Kut, and Norabak, as well as near a military training center of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia.

On October 2, in the administrative territory of Nor Arajadzor in Syunik region, air defense units of the Armenian Ministry of Defense identified and shot down another drone violating the state border and sent by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

On October 10, at around 10:30, using strike drones, the armed forces of Azerbaijan targeted the settlement of Gaghkunit in the Kapan community of Syunik region, which resulted in the deaths of three soldiers and damage to military equipment that was not engaged in combat, causing substantial property damage.

On October 14, violating the agreement reached by the foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia regarding the establishment of a humanitarian ceasefire, the armed forces of Azerbaijan targeted military equipment on combat duty in the vicinity of the Shatvan community in the Vardenis region using strike drones. As a result of the attacks, two soldiers were killed, and ten sustained various degrees of bodily injury. During this time, civilians engaged in agricultural work in the nearby fields were also targeted by drones, among whom one minor child suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized.

The mentioned circumstances have been documented and confirmed under Articles 384, 390, 391, 387, and 104 of the Armenian Criminal Code, as well as others, and numerous investigative actions are being conducted to give a full legal evaluation to the aggressive crimes committed by the armed forces of Azerbaijan, aiming to hold the perpetrators accountable.