Armenia reported over 50 of its soldiers dead in the bloodiest fighting with Azerbaijan since their conflict two years ago, but Russia claimed to have persuaded the adversaries to quickly agree to a ceasefire.
Armenia made a plea for assistance to international leaders after several hours of severe border combat overnight, claiming Azerbaijani soldiers were attempting to invade its land.
The combat was at its bloodiest since the end of the ex-Soviet republics' conflict in 2020 over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area, which resulted in over 6,500 deaths on both sides.
It happened while Moscow, Yerevan's closest ally, was preoccupied with its six-month invasion of Ukraine (after which it sent thousands of peacekeepers to the area).
However, Russia asserted that it had been successful in stopping the fighting, with the Moscow Foreign Ministry reporting that a ceasefire had been reached as of 9:00 am Moscow time (0600 GMT).
The ministry issued a statement in which it stated that it was "very concerned" about the recent escalation in fighting and added, "We expect that an agreement made as a consequence of Russian mediation on a ceasefire... will be carried out in full."
Tuesday morning, after speaking with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the phone, Pashinyan demanded "an effective reply" to "Azerbaijan's hostile conduct."
Pashinyan told legislators, "At the present, we have 49 (troops) killed and regrettably, it's not the final tally.
Call Moscow for assistance.
Although Azerbaijan claimed to have lost people in the conflict, it did not provide an exact death toll.
According to the Yerevan-based defence ministry, the fighting began early on Tuesday with artillery, mortars, and drones firing into Armenian land in the direction of the cities of Goris, Sotk, and Jermuk.
It declared in a statement that "the enemy is trying to advance" (into Armenian land).
However, Azerbaijan said that Armenia had engaged in "large-scale subversive operations" close to the towns of Dashkesan, Kelbajar, and Lachin, and that its armed forces had retaliated with "limited and targeted steps, neutralising Armenian firing positions."
Azerbaijan's longtime political and military partner Turkey accused Armenia of starting the fighting and urged Yerevan to engage in talks.
Tuesday's emergency meeting of the security council of the nation, presided over by Pashinyan, approved the formal request for Russian military assistance. Russia is required by a treaty to defend Armenia in the case of an invasion by a third party.
Armenia is a part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which is governed by Russia and comprises a number of Central Asian former Soviet republics.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US was "very worried" about the situation, including "reported strikes against communities and civilian infrastructure" in Armenia. The US had already called for an end to the fighting.
The Nagorno-Karabakh region, an Armenian-populated enclave in Azerbaijan, was the subject of two battles between the neighbours, one in the 1990s and the other in 2020.
The six weeks of severe fighting in the autumn of 2020 came to an end thanks to a truce mediated by Russia.
As part of the agreement, Moscow sent out roughly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to monitor the tenuous ceasefire while Armenia relinquished large portions of the land it had held.
When the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, ethnic Armenian rebels in Nagorno-Karabakh split away from Azerbaijan. In the ensuing fighting, about 30,000 people died.
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