The additional group of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia arrived in Stepanakert to provide support to the local population, the ministry’s operational group in Nagorno-Karabakh told TASS today, adding that representatives of the central office of the ministry and specialists of the Ministry of Energy have also arrived.

Yesterday the Il-76 plane of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia landed in Yerevan with an additional group of rescuers and machinery for work in Nagorno-Karabakh. The rescuers and machinery will be deployed in Ivanyan village (near Stepanakert) where the operative group of the ministry is deployed. The specialists will provide assistance to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On September 27, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated, and active battles began in the disputed territory. On November 9, the leaders of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a joint statement on complete cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh. The document envisaged the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region. On November 13, President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed a decree on creating an interdepartmental humanitarian response center for Nagorno-Karabakh, engaging representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Security Service and other interested federal authorities. The Ministry of Defense is in charge of solving organizational issues.