Around 9,000 ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan were registered on the contact line with Nagorno Karabakh in the first half of 2017.

Azeri troops, in particular, fired more than 121,000 shots in the reporting period.

Besides firearms, the Azerbaijani armed forces also employed SPIKE missiles, TR-107 rocket launchers, D-30 and D-44 cannons, 60-, 82- and 120-mm mortars, as well as various caliber grenade launchers.

Also, special troops of Azerbaijan's army initiated several subversive attacks in the first six months of 2017, which were all timely thwarted by the frontline positions of the Karabakh armed forces.

During one such episode on February 25, five of Azerbaijani soldiers died and their bodies were left in an area near the frontline as those who survived retreated back to their positions.

Throughout January-June, Karabakh armed forces had the upper hand on the contact line and continued protecting their positions.