Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has issued a statement on the armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. The pontiff of the Orthodox Church said in particular:

 

"I deeply condole the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan, on the occasion of the new escalation of the armed conflict, which has been going on for more than 30 years.

 

Settlements are being shelled again, people are dying, shrines, cultural heritage sites and houses of civilians are being destroyed.

I have sincere compassion for the victims of this terrible war, and offer my condolences to the families of the victims.

 

From the very beginning of the conflict, the Russian Orthodox Church, together with the spiritual leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, did and will do its utmost to establish peace in the long-suffering land of Nagorno-Karabakh".