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The Defense Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has released a statement summing up the developments along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact in 2017.

“The situation along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact can be conditionally divided into two parts in 2017. The first half of the ongoing year was marked by tensions, the use of large caliber weapons and sabotage infiltration attempts by the adversary.

In particular, it is worth mentioning the sabotage infiltration attempts made by the Azerbaijani forces at the southeastern (Martuni) and eastern (Akna) directions of the Line of Contact on 25 February, at around 3-4am, with the adversary launching an attack by using “Tropa” demining system, grenade launchers and other large-caliber weapons.

The frontline units of the Defense Army timely detected the advancement of the Azerbaijani forces in both directions also due to video devices installed following the 2016 April military operations, repelling them to their positions. As a result of the Armenian soldiers’ organized actions the retreating adversary left the dead bodies of five of its soldiers in the neutral zone. Afterwards the official Baku was forced to turn to the OSCE Minsk Group and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their mediation to organize the works of removing the dead bodies from the neutral zone,” the statement read.

With an exception of frontline attacks in July of 2017 and on October 23 and 24, when the Azerbaijani military applied D-30 howitzer artillery, D-44 cannons, TR-107 artillery rocket launchers, mortars and grenade launchers of different calibers, as well as SPIKE anti-tank guided missile at Artsakh positions, the second half of 2017 was found to be relatively calm period with Azerbaijan making ceasefire breaches mainly from firearms.

The Artsakh Defense Ministry recorded a total of 14.000 Azerbaijani ceasefire violations in 2017, with the adversary firing 180,000 shots towards Armenian posts.

In 2017, the frontline military units of the Defense Army confidently oversaw the situation on the contact line and fulfilled their key military duties with honor, ensuring the inviolability of the Artsakh borders and maintaining peace for the civilians.