On April 25, the de facto Karabakh authorities informed that a checkpoint established by Azerbaijan at the access point to the sole road linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh caused a complete cessation of all humanitarian aid supply into the region. However, these supplies were partially resumed following the efforts made by Russian peacekeepers.

Gurgen Nersisyan, de facto PM of Nagorno-Karabakh, spoke to the region’s high-ranking officials and stated that the new limitations imposed by Azerbaijan made it impossible to bring in the bare minimum of essential commodities, such as fuel, to the region since Sunday.

“As a result, we have been unable to deliver even the amount of goods provided for by ration coupons [given to the population] for a designated period. We will extend the validity of coupons so that our people can use them after their expiry,” Nersisyan said without providing further details. 

Later, Nagorno-Karabakh’s Information Center confirmed that the joint efforts of the local administration and the Russian peacekeeping force helped to partially restore the disrupted humanitarian shipments in the past few days.

According to the report, most of the cargo brought in by the peacekeepers contained essential food items, which are a part of the coupon system. These items will be transported to local stores starting from Wednesday.

Earlier, the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan wrote on his Facebook page that following Azerbaijan's establishment of the checkpoint, the inhabitants of the Yeghtsahogh, Hin Shen, Mets Shen, and Lisagor communities in the Shushi area remained in a complete blockade. They are currently unable to reach Stepanakert or leave for Armenia due to the blockade. Meanwhile, the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Health informed that the transfer of 28 referred medical patients to specialized medical facilities in Armenia was canceled due to the ‘siege.' 

The commanders of the Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor, as per the conditions of the 2020 ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow, have been engaged in talks with Azerbaijani representatives regarding the checkpoint that Russia deems unacceptable.