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Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict

Russian peacekeepers carry out mine clearing effort in Nagorno-Karabakh’s school

The engineering unit has removed mines on the area of more than 34 hectares and some 12 km of roads

MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Troops of Russia’s peacekeeping contingent examined the premises of a school in Stepanakert, the de facto capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, carrying out a search for explosives, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

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"In the past day, an effort was completed to examine the area, search and clear the premises of public school number 10 in Stepanakert of explosives. The Russian servicemen of the Center for Humanitarian Demining checked the school’s building and its premises for explosives," the ministry stated.

Besides, specialists carried out works on restoring power and heat supply and also safe delivery of required school items.

The engineering unit has removed mines on the area of more than 34 hectares and some 12 km of roads. The experts also checked more than 110 houses and social facilities, found and defused 1,077 explosives.

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region. Besides, Baku and Yerevan must exchange prisoners and the bodies of those killed. The 15th detached motorized infantry brigade units of the Central Military District form the backbone of the peacekeeping contingent. The Russian peacekeepers have set up observation posts along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave to exercise control of the ceasefire observance. The peacekeeping mission’s command is stationed in Stepanakert, the de facto capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. The situation in the area is monitored round-the-clock.

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