17 Armenian Soldiers Missing in Recent Fighting, 9 Taken Captive

During the fighting that took place two days ago near the village of Hin Tagher in the Hadrut region of Artsakh, the Azerbaijani side captured 9 Armenian soldiers. This was stated by the village mayor, Eduard Ayvazyan, in an interview with Tert.am.

He mentioned that he does not recognize the soldiers defending the community, as they are from different places, including from Ejmiadzin. “I’m talking about 9 people, but there’s a total of 17 who are missing from the boys. They called me to inform me that 9 are definitely captive, and I don’t know the fate of the others. They may have been killed or gone missing somewhere; their fate remains unknown,” the mayor said.

Earlier today, Eduard Ayvazyan informed Tert.am that Hin Tagher has definitively come under Azerbaijani control. In response to comments about a map released yesterday showing the community under Russian peacekeepers' control, he reacted, saying, “What they say is a lie. They lost the war through lies, and now they are lying again.”

Alexander Avanesyan, the head of the neighboring Khizaberd community, mentioned in an interview with Tert.am that he has been unable to establish contact to confirm whether any captives were taken from their village during the fighting.

It is noted that the Azerbaijani side has circulated reports claiming that another 100 captives were taken three days ago.

Recall that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a trilateral statement on November 10, transferring seven regions of Artsakh to Azerbaijan, along with Shushi and Hadrut, except for one village from the Askeran and Martuni regions, as well as the villages of Talish and Mataghis from the Martakert region. According to this statement, a contingent of Russian peacekeeping forces is being deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor, including 1,960 soldiers armed with small arms, 90 armored vehicles, and 380 units of automotive and special equipment.

It is noteworthy that the Russian side has altered the map, removing the communities of Hin Tagher and Khizaberd from its protective zone. Moreover, regarding these two communities, Nikol Pashinyan stated during a security council meeting, “About the Hin Tagher and Khizaberd area, I want to mention that there have been certain disagreements from the very beginning regarding the assessment of the situation about who was where as of November 9. This may not be particularly interesting but is a crucial nuance, as it relates to the situation itself. There are various theories and accusations about who was where as of the 9th and where they have appeared since then. We, the Defense Army, are confident in our positions and truths, and of course will consistently work to demonstrate this to our international partners and manage the situation within the framework of our arguments.”