The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army on Wednesday, December 16 lost communication with the personnel of several combat positions near the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the region of Hadrut , the Defense Army said Wednesday morning.

"With the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping force, active steps are being taken to find out the possibility of the Armenian servicemen's captivity and, if approved, to take the necessary action," the Defense Army said promising more details when they emerge.

The situation around the two villages came to a head when Azerbaijan launched new offensives to capture them on December 11, having seized most of the region of Hadrut during the war.

According to a trilateral statement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, the parties were supposed to remain at their current positions, which means both Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd should have remained under the Armenian side's control.

On December 13, the villages were included in the "zone of responsibility" of the Russian peacekeeping contingent after the Azerbaijanis launched provocations. However, the map updated on December 14 shows that the villages have been left out of the zone again.