Armenian Soldier Killed in New Karabakh Clash

Azerbaijani troops on Monday killed an ethnic Armenian soldier in a fresh clash with the army of the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region, the separatists said.

"Serviceman Garik Ispirian, 19, was fatally wounded on the eastern sector" of the volatile frontline that divides Azerbaijani and Karabakh forces, the separatist defense ministry said in a statement.

Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan had seized control of the territory during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead, and no peace deal has yet been signed.

Unprecedented violence erupted this year with the arch-foes regularly exchanging fire across their border and along the Karabakh frontline, sparking fears of a major escalation in the conflict.

Last month Azerbaijani forces shot down a helicopter in what was feared as a major escalation, as Yerevan warned of "grave consequences."

Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget, has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail to yield results. Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.