The residents of six villages in Martakert Region of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), and some of whom had returned to their homes after the ceasefire, were surprised Wednesday by receiving an evacuation order.

The head of the regional administration, Hayk Bakhshiyan, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that he had received an order to evacuate the villages of Hovtashen, Karmiravan, Nor Maragha, Nor Aygestan, Nor Seysulan, and Nor Haykajur.

"It is not clear yet how the border will pass. Will the Azerbaijani troops come forward? Also, will the [Russian] peacekeepers be deployed? At this moment I can only say that there is an order to be deported. For now, we have to temporarily place them [the aforesaid villagers] in Martakert [town]," he added.

The head of the regional administration noted that these residents had until 11pm Thursday to relocate.