Azerbaijani army starts shelling more civilian settlements in Artsakh

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Nagorno Karabakh Defense Ministry declared Tuesday, April 5 that it stays committed to its strategy and never opens fire on civilian settlements.

Whereas Azerbaijan, the Ministry said, has gone beyond Martakert and the neighboring villages to shell the settlement of Martuni.

On the night of April 1-2, Azerbaijani armed forces initiated overt offensive operations in the southern, southeastern and northeastern directions of the line of contact with Nagorno Karabakh.

As many as 20 Karabakh servicemen were killed and 72 were wounded in the course of military operations. In addition, 4 civilians and 5 volunteers have been killed.

26 Karabakh soldiers have gone missing so far.

As of 10:00 p.m., April 5, the Azerbaijani side has lost 29 tanks and over 5 armored vehicles, including an IFV, as well as 1 TOS-1A Solntsepyok multiple rocket launcher, 1 BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, 2 military helicopters and 7 unmanned aerial vehicles.

Seven Karabakh tanks have been neutralized since April 2. The Armenian side has lost eight positions (300 meters overall).