Azerbaijanis who have been blocking the Lachin Corridor for 10 days claiming to be environmental activists did not allow a convoy of Russian peacekeepers to pass through the road, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan reported.

“The Russian peacekeeper approached the so-called Azerbaijani ‘environmentalists’ asking to open the road on the Lachin corridor for the Russian peacekeepers’ convoy to pass. After being rejected they orders the trucks to turn around and go. Another proof of Azerbaijan’s fake narrative,” Stepanyan said in a Twitter post.

These actions by the so-called Azerbaijani protesters, who have the complete support of the country’s authorities, comes a day after international calls to Baku to end the Lachin Corridor blockade. An overwhelming number of United Nations Security Council members, among them the United States, France, China and Ireland, on Tuesday called on Azerbaijan to ensure the free movement of people along the road.

As the blockade continued and entered its 10th day, the humanitarian toll on the people of Artsakh continued to grow, with health officials reporting that eight children and 11 adults were in critical condition in various intensive care units in the capital Stepanakert, with all of them needing urgent medical care.

Already one patient, a 44-year-old man, who required medical attention died because of the Lachin Corridor blockade.

The Artsakh health ministry reported on Wednesday that a four-month-old baby diagnosed with what is known as “black fever” is among the eight children currently in the intensive care unit of the Arevik children’s hospital. The disease is fatal if its symptoms are left untreated. The other seven children are in the respiratory and neonatal units of the hospital.

The Artsakh health ministry said that four of the 11 patients in the intensive care unit at the Stepanakert Hospital are in critical conditions, with doctors working to stabilize them.

On Monday, a patient was escorted out of Artsakh for emergency treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Artsakh’s health ministry said that the patient successfully underwent surgery and is currently recuperating in the intensive care unit at a Yerevan medical facility.

During a meeting Wednesday with Armenia’s health minister, Anahit Avanesyan, the head of the ICRC delegation in Armenia said that his organization continued to fulfill its humanitarian mission through its office in Stepanakert and is prepared to mediate in facilitating treatment and medical supplies.

Artsakh authorities also reported on Wednesday that the 10-day-long Lachin Corridor blockade has impeded the delivery of 400 tons of food and medical supplies from Armenia to Artsakh, which threatens to create a food shortage and complicate the humanitarian situation in Karabakh.

As a sign of the Artsakh people’s resilience, the Stepanakert City Hall announced on Wednesday that it will maintain its scheduled annual lighting of the Christmas tree in an effort to cheer up children amid the Lachin Corridor blockade.

Promising a festive program with the participation of children, the Stepanakert City Hall invited all residents to attend the tree-lighting ceremony on Friday.