MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. Russian deminers have used the Uran-6 mine clearing robot to clear a part of the Stepanakert airport area in Nagorno-Karabakh of mines, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
“The robot helps ensure the safety of deminers and increase the effectiveness of mine clearance activities. In addition, demining activities were carried out along the Stepenakert-Shusha motorway and on Achapnyak Street in the city of Stepanakert,” the statement reads.
Russian peacekeepers have so far cleared over 80 hectares of land and 24.8 kilometers of roads of mines, and defused 4,577 explosive devices. “Explosive devices are taken to a specially equipped area and deactivated in accordance with safety requirements,” the ministry added.
In addition, peacekeepers are assisting in the restoration of power lines, a gas pipeline and electrical substations.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict over the disputed territory, primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said that Azerbaijan and Armenia would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian observation points have been established along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor connecting the region with Armenia. The peacekeeping operation’s command is stationed in the Nagorno-Karabakh capital of Stepanakert.