The Russian peacekeeping contingent on Wednesday, December 16 retrieved the bodies of nine Armenian servicemen from areas that were supposed to remain under the Armenian side's control after the war and transferred them to the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army.

According to preliminary information, the bodies were recovered from areas adjacent to the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd, which were targeted by the Azerbaijani troops more than a month after the completion of hostilities.

The Karabakh Army said on Wednesday morning that it has lost communication with the personnel of several combat positions near Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the region of Hadrut

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.