Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan reports that on April 4, Azerbaijani “eco-activists” blocked a convoy of Russian peacekeeper vehicles transporting twenty-seven Artsakh civilians from the town of Goris in Armenia to Stepanakert, the Artsakh capital.

After five hours of fruitless negotiations, the vehicles were forced to return to Goris with twenty-three civilians.

Nersisyan says the return of the civilians had been arranged in advance.

Four of the Artsakh civilians fainted during the incident and were taken to a Stepanakert hospital.

Nersisyan cited unverified reports that some Azerbaijan eco-activists broke into one of the vehicles carrying the civilians.