A soldier of the "defense army" of Nagorno-Karabakh has been severely injured during skirmishes with Azeri forces.

"The Azeri armed forces sustained personnel casualties" as a result of an intense skirmish on Thursday, the ministry told Interfax.

"A 19-year-old Armenian military serviceman, Viktor Abraamov, was injured as a result of the skirmish. The serviceman has been hospitalized and is said to be in critical but stable condition," the ministry said.