Russian peacekeeper injured in mine explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh

A Russian peacekeeper has been injured in a mine explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh, reports Interfax on Monday, November 23, citing Russia’s Defense Ministry.

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed in the blast and four officers from unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh’s Emergencies Ministry were wounded, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

According to RIA Novosti, the mine exploded while “a joint group for the exchange of bodies of dead servicemen” was conducting a search for those killed during fighting in the region’s Tartar district.

Russia sent nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh after Armenia and Azerbaijan signed an agreement ending renewed hostilities in the unrecognized republic on November 10.

The Russian peacekeeping contingent is set to monitor the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. Their mandate includes protecting the Lachin Corridor, which connects the Armenian portion of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The command center for the peacekeeping operation is located near Stepanakert (the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh).