Two years since Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a 44-day war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region between the two states, tensions are rising yet again this August, with both nations accusing each other of violating the terms of the November 2020 peace agreement that each state signed. The Nagorno-Karabakh area has been under the control of its ethnic Armenian population as a self-declared state since a war fought in the early 1990s, which ended with a ceasefire and Armenian military victory in 1994. In the aftermath of the first war, a new, internationally unrecognized, de facto Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was established. Seven adjacent regions were occupied by the Armenian forces. As a result of that war, “more than a million people had been forced from their homes: Azerbaijanis fled Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the adjacent territories, while Armenians left homes in Azerbaijan,” according to the International Crisis Group, an independent organization that works to prevent wars and shape policies. Following the second Karabakh war in 2020, Azerbaijan regained control over much of the previously occupied seven regions. Azerbaijan also captured one-third of Karabakh itself during the war. On November 10, 2020, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia. Among several points of the agreement, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed that 1,960 Russian peacekeeping forces would remain in the parts of Karabakh “not recaptured by Azerbaijan and a narrow corridor connecting with Armenia across the Azerbaijani district of Lachin.” Since the signed November 2020 agreement, there have been multiple reports of ceasefire violations, with each side blaming the other for flare-ups. In March, the Azerbaijani army seized control over a strategic village Farrukh, in the east of Karabakh, protected by the Russian peacekeepers. On August 1, Nagorno-Karabakh's military accused Azerbaijani forces of launching attacks on its positions in the territory’s north and northwest — Allegations that were denied by the Azerbaijani side. On August 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia's Prime Minister, about the implementation of the trilateral peace agreement signed in November 2020. According to Azadliq Radio, Azerbaijan service for Radio Liberty reporting, Russian and Azerbaijani defense ministers also spoke on the phone. While it is not been reported what exactly the two talked about, according to Azerbaijan MoD, “the sides discussed regional security, as well as other issues of mutual interest.” On August 3, the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a strongly worded statement that Armenia violated the ceasefire agreement, resulting in the death of one Azerbaijani soldier in the Lachin district, an area under the supervision of the Russian peacekeeping forces. The MoD also demanded the disarmament of “illegal Armenian formations” around the disputed territory and said it had taken control of several strategic heights following an operation dubbed “Revenge.” The Republic of Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that the presence of Armenian armed forces and illegal Armenian armed formations in the territories of Azerbaijan, where peacekeepers of the Russian Federation are temporarily stationed, remains a source of danger contrary to the Joint Statement. The demilitarization of those territories, the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops, and the disarmament of illegal Armenian armed detachments are absolutely necessary. The Karabakh armed forces said two soldiers died and 19 were wounded in the renewed fighting. According to reporting by Turan News Agency, the capture of the heights strengthens the Azerbaijani Armed Forces’ control over the Lachin corridor. The corridor is a 5-kilometer road running through Azerbaijani territory and connecting Armenia to Karabakh. Since the 44-day war, the corridor has been under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces. According to reporting by Eurasianet, “the road has become an issue of contention in recent weeks, as Azerbaijanis are nearing completion of an alternate road to connect Armenia with Karabakh, and are demanding that Armenians withdraw from the villages along the current road when that happens.” In the meantime, the residents of the villages have expressed concern over their safety and future status. Armen Grigoryan, the head of Armenia's Security Council, said demands to relocate residents are not legitimate.