Artsakh Defense Army units 'neutralizing Azerbaijani commando raiders' in Hadrut

Military operations are underway to encircle and neutralize an Azerbaijani commando, which has infiltrated through Nagorno-Karabakh's (Artsakh) eastern border, targeting the town of Hadrut, the Defense Army says in a press release.

Meantime it denies the Azerbaijani media's earlier reports that retreating Defense Army units sustained heavy losses in a recent shelling in the Red Market direction.  

"The Azerbaijani propaganda machine is misrepresenting the truth faithful to its tradition in an attempt to prove, at any cost, [President] Ilham Aliyev's baseless statement on taking Hadrut under control.

"The Defense Army subdivisions continue confidently fulfilling the tasks set along the entire frontline. At the same time, the Defense Army subdivisions successfully manage to halt the attempted aggressive acts by the Azerbaijani armed forces, which  fail to abide by the ceasefire regime. The military operations to encircle and neutralize the commando which has  infiltrated through the border are underway in the direction of Hadrut. The operational situation is under the Defense Army's full control. We call upon our compatriots to follow exclusively official news reports," reads the statement. 

Azerbaijan launched large-scale offensives along the Line of Contact on September 27, targeting also the civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

As of October 11, the Artsakh defense forces were reported to have shot down 16 war helicopters, 17 warplanes, 165 UAVs, 510 units of armored vehicles (mainly tanks), 86 transport vehicles, 10 armored personnel carriers and multiple rocket launchers (one unit of TOS-1A, two units of BM-30 Smerch and one unit of BM-27 Uragan).

Azerbaijan has lost over 4,719 troops in the clashes. Armenia has officially reported 429 losses. 

Azerbaijan's armed forces targeted also other civilian objects and military objectives on the territory of Armenia. Two civilians were fatally shot in the Gegharkunik region. As many as 102 civilians were wounded and some 25 were killed in Nagorno-Karabakh. Physical damage was caused to 5,800 units of property and infrastructures. 

The Azerbaijani strikes left also journalists (representing both the local and international media) wounded.

Armenia and Artsakh declared martial law and a general mobilization on September  27.

Despite the Russia-mediated ceasefire, agreed with the Armenian and Azerbaijan foreign ministers almost a fortnight later in Moscow (and officially effective since 12:00, October 10), Azerbaijan continues repeatedly violating the truce, shelling civilian settlements of Nagorno-Karabakh,