Previous reports

During the live broadcast on January 8, Ruben Vardanyan, de-facto State Minister of separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, stated, "90 percent of the Nagorno-Karabakh population accepts the situation calmly and correctly." According to Vardanyan, another unacceptable phenomenon was recorded. "I do not accept the person who, in cooperation with Russian peacekeepers and someone else, was able to bring food and sell it to people at a higher price," said Vardanyan, adding that some people are trying to make money in the besieged Nagorno-Karabakh.

On January 11, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, announced that Russia and Armenia are conducting negotiations on Karabakh at different levels. "There are constant contacts at work, at different levels," he added. Peskov also commented on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement that if Russia cannot fulfill its duties in Nagorno-Karabakh, it should turn to the UN Security Council. "The issue of sending UN Security Council peacekeepers to Karabakh has been on the agenda more than once, but their deployment requires the consent of all parties to the conflict," the press secretary of the Russian president stated.

Recent developments

On January 11, Ruben Vardanyan wrote on his Facebook page that speeches of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed that the only possible choice for Nagorno-Karabakh is fighting. "You have to fight, relying on your strength. To fight with the support of the citizens of Armenia, who, in the last elections, voted for the political forces that declared full support for Nagorno-Karabakh in their programs. To fight with the active support of the Diaspora, which has always been by the motherland's side in extreme situations," he added.

On January 12, Gegham Stepanyan, the de-facto Human Rights Ombudsman of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, stated on Twitter: "Azerbaijan has cut off the internet cables entering Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia. For three days now, Azerbaijan has been blocking the restoration of the sole high-voltage electricity line from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh."

On the same day, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly, stated that Armenia will not be involved in the negotiations with Azerbaijan on the opening of the Lachin Corridor. "The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh have the opportunity to negotiate and speak directly with Azerbaijan, and they deal with the problem, and Armenia will support every decision of Nagorno-Karabakh," he added. 

On January 13, Yael Braun-Pivé, the Speaker of the National Assembly of France, stated that France will do everything to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh. "We are seriously concerned about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The blockade that continues in the Lachin corridor worsens the humanitarian situation. Tomorrow we will meet with representatives of several non-governmental organizations that work with citizens affected by this situation. It is very important to restore free movement on the road, electricity supply, and Internet connection [in Nagorno-Karabakh]. We will do everything to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe," the Speaker of the National Assembly added.

On the same day, the de-facto National Security Service of separatist Nagorno-Karabakh revealed a new state treason case. "It turned out that a citizen of Nagorno-Karabakh, a soldier of the National Guard N military unit, came to the attention of foreign special services in July 2021 and was recruited by them, committing to collect and hand over information for a fee. The latter, through mobile applications, handed over to a representative of a foreign special service military information constituting a state and service secret, in particular, regarding the place of his service, the direction, type, and quantity of the unit, available weapons, command staff, combat positions, and combat duty, thus committing state treason," the message said. 

On January 13, the Nagorno-Karabakh de-facto government's press service said the 120,000-strong population is practically deprived of an uninterrupted power supply after the only high-voltage electricity grid from Armenia has been interrupted due to a fault (or act of sabotage) in Azerbaijani-controlled territory.  Ruben Vardanyan asked local power distribution companies to submit proposals on the transition to energy-saving mode and maximum reduction of electricity consumption.

On January 14, rumors spread that Nagorno-Karabakh de-facto State Minister Ruben Vardanyan will be relieved of his post. On the same day, Ruben Vardanyan announced that he will not resign. "I am not going to resign, especially in the current situation. At the same time, the possible resignation of the country's president and parliament is unacceptable. All of us must multiply our efforts to overcome the challenges facing Nagorno-Karabakh. In this situation, we have no right to serve the enemy's agenda and surrender. We now have a real opportunity to keep Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian. I appeal to everyone for political common sense and solidarity," he wrote on Facebook.

On the same day, Ararat Mirzoyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, met with Sergey Ghazaryan, the newly appointed de-facto Minister of Foreign Affairs of separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, the Press Office of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported. Minister Mirzoyan congratulated his counterpart upon his appointment to a responsible position and wished him success in his work. "Ararat Mirzoyan and Sergey Ghazaryan discussed the situation resulting from Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor," the report added.