The first night after the new humanitarian ceasefire took effect in the troubled Nagorno-Karabakh region was calm in Stepanakert, the capital of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh (Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh), a Sputnik correspondent reports.
No air raid sirens were heard in the city during the night, but local residents still hid in the basements.
According to the Sputnik correspondent, on Saturday, representatives of humanitarian organizations arrived in Stepanakert to help conflicting sides exchange prisoners.
The new Yerevan-Baku ceasefire came into force at midnight local time on Saturday (20:00 GMT). Spokesperson of the president of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, Vahram Poghosyan, said on Facebook shortly after the ceasefire took effect that the situation along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh was calm.
Armenian Defence Ministry's spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said early on Sunday morning that Azerbaijan had started an offensive along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh despite the ceasefire.
"By 07:20 [03:20 GMT], using artillery fire, the enemy launched an offensive in the southern direction (the Khoda Afarin reservoir, bordering Iran) with the aim of taking advantageous positions. Both sides have suffered losses," Stepanyan wrote on Facebook.
Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry said in the early hours of Sunday that Armenia had violated the new ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh, shelling Azerbaijani positions along the line of contact in the troubled region.
"At night, the enemy launched mortar and artillery fire in the vicinity of Jabrayil, as well as the liberated villages on the Aras River. There are no casualties among the personnel. Our units have taken adequate response measures," Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
