Azeri media issued a report claiming that an Azerbaijani sniper injured a Russian soldier named Bolotnikov at the line of contact with Karabakh armed forces. The media were citing a “military source,” which suggested that the incident occurred in Akna (Aghdam) region.
The same source said that “the Russian officer has long been training Armenian snipers in Karabakh and shot several Azeri servicemen himself.” The source claims the officer “has been awarded by Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan.”
“In April, 8 Armenian soldiers were disarmed at contact line, with 4 of them reported killed. Also, 2 Armenian-owned vehicles were shot down near the village of Aghdam,” haqqin.az said.
In a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, Artsakh defense army spokesman Senor Hasratyan refuted the reports above, slamming them as another Azeri misinformation. “At present, as well as during Karabakh war, Armenian armed forces are quite capable of providing Artsakh’s safety without outside help,” he stressed.
Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan supported Mr Hasratyan’s statement, denying Azeri report of the officer Bolotnikov.
He further refuted the “information” on those killed and wounded at contact line, stressing that if that was the case the incident would have been made public. “Unlike Azerbaijan, we don’t conceal the deaths of soldiers,” he said.
