Azerbaijan refutes Armenia's claims of shelling civilian areas

The Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan has firmly rejected recent accusations from Armenia alleging that Azerbaijani forces fired on civilian areas along the border, calling the claims false and part of a pattern of misinformation.

According to a statement published by Caliber.Az on May 30, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry refuted an Armenian report which claimed that Azerbaijani military units shelled the village of Khaznavar between 00:10 and 01:00 on the same day. The Armenian side alleged that the attack resulted in damage to a residential building and the death of a domesticated animal.

“This information does not reflect reality,” the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said in its statement. “We emphasise that units of the Azerbaijani Army never target civilian populations or civilian infrastructure.”

This denial follows a similar statement issued a day earlier. On May 29, the Armenian Defence Ministry had also accused Azerbaijan of firing on Khaznavar between 01:00 and 01:15, again claiming that a residential house was damaged in the alleged attack.

Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry maintains that its armed forces act with strict discipline and restraint, and dismissed the allegations as part of a broader disinformation campaign by Yerevan. The Ministry said such fabricated claims are aimed at provoking tensions and misleading both the domestic Armenian audience and the international community.

By Tamilla Hasanova