On October 16 evening, the Azerbaijani armed forces opened targeted fire on the Yeraskh community of the Armenia’s Ararat province. According to Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, the shootings specifically targeted civilian houses.

Immediately after the shooting, 3000-4000 stacks of hay belonging to a local resident caught fire. After the arrival of the firefighters, the fire was contained on time to prevent its spread towards the houses, the Ombudsman noted.

"These are terrorist acts. They unruliness is a direct result of the policy of hostility and fascism of the Azerbaijani authorities. These alarming reports communicated to the Armenian Human Rights Defender were confirmed by objective evidence and verified through several sources within fact-finding activities," Tatoyan said in a statement.

"It is obvious that the Azerbaijani servicemen know that they are causing damages to villagers, destroying their property, violating their right to life and property, destroying peaceful life and security. This action justifies once again that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Resolution 2391 (2021) of September 27, 2021 must be implemented. This is the requirement to establish a demilitarized security zone."