Azerbaijan and Armenia clashed again on Wednesday, a day after nearly 100 soldiers were killed in the deadliest fighting between the ex-Soviet republics since 2020.
At least 49 Armenian and 50 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the clashes on Tuesday, with both Yerevan and Baku blaming each other for the violence, which prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for calm.
The clashes have raised fears of another major armed conflict in the former Soviet Union, while Russia’s military is involved in the Ukraine invasion.
A full-fledged conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan risks entangling powers such as Russia and Turkey, as well as destabilising an important corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas, just as the Ukraine conflict disrupts energy supplies.
The Armenian defence ministry accused Azerbaijan, which is backed politically and militarily by Turkey, of launching a new attack on Wednesday.
“The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border remained tense,” it added, restating Armenia’s position that Azerbaijan launched attacks on its sovereign territory.
Azerbaijan accused Armenia, which is allied with Moscow and hosts a Russian military base, of firing mortars and artillery at its military units.
“Our positions are periodically being fired against at the moment,” Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said. “Our units are taking the necessary response measures.”
