Gunshots Heard When People Are Outdoors, Says Kut Village Leader

“When we are indoors, we do not even hear the gunshots, but when people are outside or in the mountains, the sounds of gunfire can be heard,” Sima Chitchyan, the administrative leader of Kut village in the Geghamasar amalgamated community, told Panorama.am.

He noted that the last time they heard short bursts of gunfire was a few days ago, around 3:00 to 4:00 PM.

“Today, we are unable to utilize 1,000-1,200 hectares of pastureland and 300-400 hectares of hayfields, but the arable lands are located below the village and are not under enemy fire,” Chitchyan explained, presenting the proportion of areas lost due to border violations by Azerbaijan.

Chitchyan stated that all of the village's pastures and hayfields have not come under the control of Azerbaijanis, but in the areas monitored by our military personnel, farmers are also unable to let their livestock graze.

“Our soldiers say that we should not get close to the positions with livestock, as Azerbaijanis drive them away. Our army officers also call and say not to approach the livestock, even near our positions,” the village leader said.

When asked how they are addressing the issue of livestock feed, the village leader said that this year, villagers have collected as much hay as they could, as no machinery could be brought to the hayfields due to the enemy's gunfire.

“Villagers are also slaughtering and selling livestock, even at cheap prices. What else can they do? Some people have slaughtered 3, 4, or even 5 cows, keeping only as many as they can manage. Personally, I have also slaughtered and sold livestock,” Chitchyan shared.

He added, “This year, which was dry, the livestock is in very poor condition; they have lost weight, giving neither milk nor meat, and for the first time in 30 years, livestock will enter winter with such conditions.”

He also mentioned that the last time Azerbaijanis took 80 heads of livestock from the village during the summer, there has been no further loss of livestock; villagers are cautious about grazing animals in those areas.

“Of the livestock taken, 55 were dairy cows, and the others were heifers and bulls. Since then, we have not approached the village herd near the border, and no similar incidents have been recorded. The 80 heads were driven away by Azerbaijanis from our territory,” the village administrator stated.