An Armenian serviceman was killed in overnight clashes with Azerbaijani troops near Nagorno-Karabakh, the rebel region’s military said today. 

The clashes took place in northeastern and southeastern parts of Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a statement by the “defense army” of the region.

Junior Sergeant Armen Hovhanissian was killed while the Azerbaijani side incurred “significant human and material losses”, it said.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry dismissed the claims, saying there were no clashes along the ceasefire line on the night of January 20-21.

Armenia captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet Union’s breakup in 1994 that killed more than 10,000 Azeris and displacing about a million.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in May 1994 but the sides have yet to sign a peace agreement.

Deadly exchanges of fire are common along the heavily militarized ceasefire line.  

ANN.Az