Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers Suren Papikyan and Sergei Shoigu on Thursday, March 24 discussed over the phone the recent escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan has used drones to launch an offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, capturing a village and positions nearby and injuring one Armenian soldier. Lengthy negotiations of the Russian peacekeeping troops and the relevant bodies of Artsakh did not yield significant results, and the Azeris did not return to the starting positions.

Describing the situation as explosive, the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Papikyan has stressed the need for the Azerbaijani units to return to their starting positions.

Shoigu assured, meanwhile, that the situation is "in the center of the Russian side's attention", and that necessary steps are being taken towards its peaceful resolution.