Acting Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh over the phone on Wednesday, May 12, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

"During the conversation, the situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh areas where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is stationed, as well as other topics of mutual interest were discussed," the statement reads.

The phone call took place amid a growing crisis in Armenia. On the morning of May 12, the armed forces of Azerbaijan violated the border of Armenia in the southern province of Syunik, advancing 3.5 kilometers and surrounding Sev Lake, which is situated on the border between the two countries but is predominantly a part of Armenia.