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Russia sympathizes with families of Karabakh blast victims — diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, Russian peacekeepers actively participated in extinguishing the resulting blaze and providing emergency medical aid on site

MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Russia commiserates with the families and friends of the victims of the fuel depot explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"We see that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains complicated, to put it mildly," the diplomat said at a briefing. "Above all, we would like to express condolences to those near and dear to the people killed in the explosion of a fuel and lubricants warehouse near Stepanakert on September 25. We wish the swiftest recovery to all those injured," she said.

According to Zakharova, Russian peacekeepers actively participated in extinguishing the resulting blaze and providing emergency medical aid on site. "Some 120 Nagorno-Karabakh residents, critically wounded in this tragic incident, were evacuated to Armenia for further treatment in a specialized hospital setting precisely by the helicopters of the Russian peacekeeping contingent," she pointed out.

The diplomat assured that Russia will continue "to exert every effort in order to bring life back to normal for residents." "The Russian peacekeeping contingent, selflessly fulfilling its duty, remains the main stabilizing force in the region," the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stressed.

On the evening of September 25, an explosion occurred at a fuel depot near Stepanakert-Askeran highway. Armenian news outlets, citing the human rights commissioner of the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, reported that the death toll stood at 68 as of 9 p.m. Moscow time on Tuesday.

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Foreign policy Maria Zakharova

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