Azerbaijan, Armenian separatists agree to cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh

Children take shelter during shelling in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Azerbaijan forces fired artillery at Armenian positions in the breakaway enclave.

Siranush Sargsyan/AP

A cease-fire has been reached in the separatist enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, where ethnic Armenian forces have been fighting Azerbaijan’s military since Tuesday. The Russian Ministry of Defense says it brokered the deal.

Russia installed a contingent of up to 2,000 peacekeepers in 2020 after Moscow negotiated an end to the most recent large-scale hostilities between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijan. The Russian force did not appear to intervene this week to block Azerbaijan’s military offensive. Armenia is one of Russia’s oldest allies.

The separatists’ self-styled foreign affairs ministry said that after “a lack of concrete actions” by international parties, the enclave was left with few options to ensure the safety of its civilian population.

The Russian peacekeepers’ base camp, which includes a medical unit, is hosting 2,261 civilians, including 1,049 children, as of Wednesday, according to the Russian military.

Separatist leaders, who operate their own government as the “Artsakh Republic,” have reportedly urged people in the territory not to panic.

Azerbaijan has insisted on total surrender

The apparent break in the conflict comes one day after Azerbaijan launched a large military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh — which led the U.S. to call on Azerbaijan’s leaders in Baku, the capital, “to cease these actions immediately.

Rather than stand down its military, Azerbaijan’s government vowed to continue fighting until ethnic Armenian forces agreed to a total surrender. Since the offensive began, at least 32…