Russia, the mediator in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating the 2020 ceasefire agreement by allowing its troops to cross the demarcation line, AFP reported, citing Agerpres.

On Saturday, “March 25, 2023, a unit of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces crossed the contact line in the Shushi region, violating” the agreements made in 2020, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

He claims that the Azerbaijani troops “took the height” and “began setting up a post.”

Russian peacekeepers “are taking measures aimed at preventing the escalation of the crisis situation and mutual provocations on the part of the warring parties.”

“The Azerbaijani side has been informed of the need to implement the provisions (of the agreement), take measures to stop construction works and withdraw the armed forces to the positions they previously occupied,” the Russian ministry added.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics in the Caucasus, have fought two wars over the past three decades over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

The last conflict, in the fall of 2020, claimed the lives of 6,500 people and ended with a ceasefire brokered by Russia, which deployed a peacekeeping contingent.

Armenia has warned for weeks of a “humanitarian crisis” in Karabash due to the Azerbaijani blockade, which has caused drug shortages and power outages.

Yerevan accuses Russian peacekeepers of not taking measures to end this blockade.