Garik Vardanyan, a soldier severely wounded in Artsakh by Azerbaijani fire on December 30, died last night at Yerevan Central Military Hospital.

The NKR Ministry of Defense also rejects claims made by Azerbaijan that Armenian soldiers shot and killed one of its soldiers on January 15. The ministry says that the Azerbaijani solider was probably killed due to the breakdown of personal order in the Azerbaijani military ranks.

The ministry adds that Azerbaijan violated the Karabakh ceasefire yesterday and last night, firing 51 rounds of 60mm mortars and three rounds of 82mm mortars towards Artsakh Defense Army positions in the east and southeast.

The ministry says its forces responded where necessary and that Baku assumes full responsibility for any flare-up along the Line of Contact.