Azerbaijani defense ministry reports ‘diversion attempt’ of Armenian forces, Armenia denies claim

Information from Baku

The Azerbaijani ministry of defense reported:

“At around 05:45 on August 23, a diversion and reconnaissance team from the Armenian armed forces made an attempt at a provocation on the border near Goranboy.

The defense ministry’s site reports that “as a result of the decisive actions of the Azerbaijani army units deployed in this area, the enemy, having suffered losses, was forced to retreat”.

The report also says that during the battle, senior lieutenant Gurgin Alberyan, the commander of the Armenian military group as determined by the initial interrogation, was taken prisoner.

The Azerbaijani defenses ministry states that “the military-political leadership of Armenia bears full responsibility for the aggravation of the situation at the front.”

Information from Yerevan

Armenian media sources have published articles denying the information disseminated by the Azerbaijani defense ministry.

The press secretary of the Armenian Defense Ministry Shushan Stepanyan said that on August 22, at about 19:30, officer Gurgen Alaverdyan went missing while he was off base due to unfavorable weather conditions.

“The message spread by the ministry of defense of Azerbaijan is misinformation, in which they are trying to present a lost man as a saboteur”, says Stepanyan.