Azerbaijan’s military launched offensive actions last night along long stretches of the Artsakh Line of Contact, according to a report issued by the Artsakh Ministry of Defense.

Earlier this morning the ministry reported that fierce battles were being waged to halt the attempted advance by Azerbaijan and that Artsakh forces have inflicted sizeable material and human damage on the Azerbaijani military. (So far, the ministry has not reported any Artsakh soldiers killed or wounded)

The Artsakh Ministry of Defense reports that it has downed an Azerbaijani helicopter in the northern section of the border.

Initial statements by the ministry say Azerbaijani forces are using air power, missiles and tanks.

The ministry states that Azerbaijani forces have also shelled Armenian civilians and that Vaghinak Grigoryan (born 2004) was killed in the Martouni region. Two other children are reported wounded.

In a follow-up communique, the Artsakh Defense Ministry has called on the international community, particularly the OSCE Minsk Group, to immediately intervene so that the situation along the Line of Contact does not spiral into widespread military conflagration.