Reports of Azerbaijani forces firing at civilian targets in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) were confirmed Thursday, July 15 by Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan.

The residents of the city confirmed to the Human Rights Defender’s staff that Azerbaijani forces shot 4-5 short bursts of fire at 5 p.m. local time on Thursday.

Stepanyan said in a Facebook post that the information was confirmed by the local authorities, while the Russian peacekeeping forces were informed about the incident.

“According to the information obtained from the Ministry of Health and from the Stepanakert military hospital, there are no casualties,” Stepanyan wrote in a Facebook post.

“By grossly violating the trilateral statement on ceasefire, the Azerbaijani side has been making provocations more frequently in recent days, in an effort to continuously intimidate the civilian population and create an atmosphere of fear and tension. The introduction of clear mechanisms for investigating incidents is simply a necessity to curb the aspirations of the Azerbaijani side and end provocations."

According to him, Azerbaijan’s infringement on the physical and psychological well-being of the people of Artsakh should receive adequate assessments, including public ones, by the Russian peacekeepers and the international community,” said Stepanyan.

Also Thursday, Armenia’s Defense Ministry denied a statement issued by Azerbaijan’s defense ministry alleging that Armenian forces opened fire on the Azerbaijani forces.