“Azerbaijani armed forces, violating the ceasefire agreement, are firing from different types of firearms from areas adjacent to Stepanakert,” the Karabakh police said in a statement. “Shots can also be heard in the center of the capital.”
The statement said the authorities appealed to Russian peacekeepers for “urgent measures” to stop the shootings. Citing security reasons, it also urged Stepanakert residents to remain in bomb shelters and other basements.
The shootings caused panic in Stepanakert, with many residents reportedly trying to flee the city and take refuge at the peacekeepers’ headquarters. There were also unconfirmed reports about Azerbaijani troops entering the town.
“The situation is very bad right,” one Karabakh woman told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service at noon. She said the gunfire is continuing.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied that its troops are now attacking the Karabakh capital after getting closer to it during an offensive that began on Tuesday and was supposedly stopped by the Russian-brokered ceasefire.