The fate of not only Armenians but also the region is being decided today, Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan said Saturday, October 3.

"Today, not only the fate of all of us but also the fate of the region is being decided," Hovhannisyan wrote on Facebook.

Heavy fighting is underway in the northern and southern directions of the (Nagorno-Karabakh) Artsakh contact line, Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said Saturday, October 3 morning.

Stepanyan said Azerbaijani troops have concentrated large forces and launched an attack.

Azerbaijan launched a large-scale offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. International and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of civilian settlements.