A car carrying the servicemen came under small arms fire, the country’s Defense Ministry has said

FILE PHOTO. ©  Sputnik/Maxim Blinov

A group of Russian peacekeepers was killed in Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday, when their vehicle came under small-arms fire, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.  

The peacekeepers were returning to an observation post when their car was attacked by unknown assailants. All the servicemen inside the car were killed on the spot, the military said, without revealing the exact number of casualties.

Russian and Azerbaijani investigators are examining the scene of the incident, the military added.

The new escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh began on Tuesday when Baku launched “counter-terrorism measures of a local nature,” citing an alleged Armenian military buildup in the disputed region. Armenia denied that it had a troop presence, and accused Baku of starting “another large-scale aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.” 

READ MORE: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: What is Russia’s position?

The Azerbaijani military subsequently advanced in multiple directions, breaching the positions of local forces. On Wednesday, the authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh announced a ceasefire with Baku, following a proposal by Russian peacekeeping forces. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed the operation as a major success, stating that sovereignty had been restored over the region. Nagorno-Karabakh initially declared independence from Azerbaijan in the 1990s, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.