Over the past 17 hours, the Armenian Armed Forces have repeatedly opened fire on positions of the Azerbaijani army, increasing tensions in the border areas. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, the first episode of shelling began on March 17 at 25:21 and continued until 45:XNUMX. Units of the Armenian Armed Forces stationed near the settlements of Saybaly (Garakilsi district), Vagan (Chemberek district) and Istisu (Basarkechar district) used small arms to attack Azerbaijani positions. The ministry noted that the fire was deliberate, but there is currently no information on casualties or destruction. 

The second surge in activity by the Armenian military was recorded on the night of March 17-18. From 22:15 to 00:20, units located in the villages of Arpa (Keshishkend district), Saybaly and Vagan continued periodic shelling, again using small arms. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry emphasized that these actions were a continuation of the provocations that began earlier that day, as reported in the daily report. Baku regards such incidents as an attempt to destabilize the situation on the border, despite ongoing negotiations on delimitation and demarcation between the countries. 

The escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border comes amid complex diplomatic efforts. In recent months, the two sides have been trying to make progress toward a peace settlement with the help of international partners including Russia and the European Union. But the increasing number of skirmishes is threatening the fragile ceasefire that has been in place since the 2020 war. According to Azerbaijani sources, there have been more than a dozen ceasefire violations by Armenia in the past two weeks alone, raising concerns in Baku. 

International observers say the escalation could be linked to internal political processes in both countries. In Armenia, Reuters reports that Nikol Pashinyan's government is facing opposition criticism for making concessions in talks with Azerbaijan, possibly pushing the military to demonstrate force. In turn, Azerbaijan is increasing its military presence on the border, signaling its readiness to retaliate. Last week, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported the destruction of an Armenian observation post in response to previous shelling, the first such incident in 2025.