View of Shushi in 2019. Courtesy of DroDrone Facebook.

Overnight, throughout the day and into Sunday evening, Turkish-backed Azerbaijani forces shelled with missiles and cluster munitions, Artsakh’s Rescue Service reported, causing damage to civilian infrastructure and injuring one resident.

Ground fighting continued throughout the night and day, focusing primarily on Shushi. At midday Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev claimed his forces were in control of the town, without furnishing evidence. Reports from the grounds suggested fighting continued in and around Shushi. Throughout the day, he Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovannisyan called the fighting “hard and decisive” and continuing into Sunday night. Russian journalist Semyon Pegov reporting from Stepanakert described it as “seesaw” action, with initiative shifting back and forth throughout the day.

Intense fighting was also reported in vicinity of Martuni. In the afternoon, another Turkish Bayraktar drone was shot down in the southeast of Karabakh, with wreckage photos posted by the Defense Army.

Also on Sunday, a delegation from Turkey, including its foreign minister, defense minister and senior military officers arrived in Baku for a meeting with Aliyev. Timed to the arrival, the Qatari-backed Middle East Eye published likely Turkish terms for a cease-fire in Karabakh that called for joint Russian-Turkish observation / peacekeeping force, as in Syria.

On Saturday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed Karabakh with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, that call was followed by a conversation between Russian and Turkish foreign ministers. According to Turkish officials they reached an “understanding” with Russians on the terms of the Turkish plan.