STEPANAKERT, Artsakh (A.W.)—Armenian serviceman Artak Rafaelyan (b. 1997) was killed by Azerbaijani fire at around 1 p.m. on March 28. The incident occurred in the eastern direction of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh)-Azerbaijan Line of Contact (LoC), according to a statement published by the Artsakh Defense Ministry.
According to the statement, the Ministry has launched an investigation into the incident. The Ministry also expressed its grief and offered condolences to Rafaelyan’s friends, family, and fellow soldiers.
Rafaelyan’s death comes nearly a month after another Artsakh Defense Army serviceman Nver Babajanyan (b. 1980) was killed on March 1, after being hit by shrapnel during Azerbaijani shelling on Armenian positions in the southeast Martuni direction of LoC.
Four days earlier, on Feb. 25, Azerbaijani forces made two major offensive attempts in the most intense fighting along the Artsakh-Azerbaijani border since early April 2016. Attempts were carried out at around 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. in the southeastern (Martakert) and eastern (Akna) directions of the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact (LoC). Artsakh forces detected the Feb. 25 advancements early on and drove Azerbaijani forces back to their starting positions. At least six Azerbaijani servicemen were killed in that attack.