Strong Explosions Heard, Gas Supply Cut Off in Artsakh: Metaksa Hakobyan

“Last night, strong explosions were heard from forested areas near Shushi, after which the gas supply in Artsakh was cut off. We later learned that a gas pipeline in the territory under Azerbaijani control was blown up, and so far the enemy has not allowed even Russian peacekeepers to approach and understand what the issue is. The entire population of Artsakh is sitting frozen in their homes, because since the war, we now also have issues with electricity, and we don’t know what to do now,” stated Metaksa Hakobyan, a member of the Artsakh National Assembly and part of the ‘Justice’ alliance, in an interview with “Factinfo.”

According to her, the enemy has been particularly displeased with the fact that Artsakh provided 14 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which the Russians announced and was viewed in Baku as a provocation and a step against Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. “During the war, the gas pipeline was blown up several times, and after the ceasefire, there were similar incidents, but Russian peacekeepers managed to resolve these issues quickly. Now, since yesterday, the Azerbaijani side does not even allow Russian peacekeepers to approach the gas pipeline to at least understand the scale of the incident or how the problem can be solved quickly,” she added.

Commenting on such behavior exhibited by the Azerbaijani side, Metaksa Hakobyan noted that the official statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense that used the name Nagorno-Karabakh angered our enemy to such an extent that the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a hysterical statement, even threatening the group of peacekeepers operating in Artsakh, saying they should not forget that Russian peacekeeping troops are serving here, in the territory of Azerbaijan. “As for what such brazen phrasing means, perhaps we should leave it uncommented. I can only add that since yesterday, all of Artsakh has been left without gas, it is cold in the homes, and there is no hope that the issue will be resolved soon,” the deputy said.

After the war, most of the hydroelectric power plants have remained under Azerbaijani control, which is felt acutely, as the electricity volume in Artsakh is not sufficient to address even the simple heating problems in such situations. When asked what the authorities of Artsakh are doing in such a situation, Metaksa Hakobyan responded, “As always, nothing. Expecting any constructive steps from the government in Artsakh is now a hopeless endeavor.”

It is noteworthy that the entire territory of Artsakh has been deprived of gas supply due to the damage of the main gas pipeline coming from the Republic of Armenia.