An Artsakh farmer was injured as Azerbaijani forces intensified their shelling of villages in the Askeran and Martuni region with incessant gunfire reported throughout the night. Azerbaijani forces have also been observed amassing heavy artillery and tanks in the area, prompting the overnight evacuation of women and children, according to Armenia’s Human Rights Defender.

Azerbaijani forces continued the heavy shelling of the Khramort and Nakhichevanik villages in the Artsakh’s Askeran region through Thursday night local time. As a result of the continuing ceasefire violation, 51-year-old Suren Baghryan, a resident of the Khramort village was wounded.

According to local law enforcement, Baghryan suffered shrapnel wounds to his back while gardening when the Azerbaijani forces began firing mortars, one of which exploded in his yard.

51-year-old Suren Baghryan suffered injuries to his back from flying shrapnel A tractor was damaged as a result continuing attacks by Azerbaijani forces

Azerbaijani forces have been attacking Khramort and the surrounding villages since late last month. This week, however, they intensified the attacks using heavier artillery. The Askeran region is adjacent to Aghdam, which was surrendered to Azerbaijan after the 2020 war.

The latest shelling intensified on Wednesday around 2 to 2:30 p.m. when Azerbaijani forces fired two 60 millimeter mortars near the Khnushinak village in Artsakh’s Martuni region. Then beginning at 3:50 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through the night until 5:40 a.m. local time Thursday, Azerbaijani forces fired mortar around 15 times at the Khramort village.

The Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh was notified on the gross ceasefire violations committed by Azerbaijan.

Artsakh’s Interior Ministry release a photograph depicting the shrapnel wounds suffered by Baghryan, who was rushed to a hospital, where he was listed in satisfactory condition.

By 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, the situation was “fully under the control of the authorities of the Artsakh Republic and the Russian peacekeeping troops,” Artsakh national security service said in a statement.

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Kristine Grigoryan issued a statement on Thursday, calling the continued attacks by Azerbaijani forces “criminal acts.”

She also warned that Azerbaijani forces were accumulating tanks near the Khramort village and announced that as a precautionary measure, women and children were evacuated overnight.

“This is the ongoing criminal policy by the Azerbaijani military-political leadership, which is aimed at violating the life and security of people living in their homeland—terrorizing them, and causing them constant crisis,” Grigoryan said.

“It is clearly evident that the ultimate goal of such acts is to remove the Armenian communities in Artsakh from their native Armenian population, which is a manifestation of the ongoing policy of Armenophobia and ethnic hatred,” added Grigoryan, who also accused Azerbaijan of attempting to discredit the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh.