According to the editor-in-chief and military correspondent of the Segodnya.ru portal, Yuri Kotenok, Baku must be held responsible for the war crimes committed in Artsakh. The reporter had been heavily injured during the shelling of the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi.
According to the reporter, there are many Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan. He is convinced that Russia and the Russian peacekeepers will help in having those people returned. He also considers the treatment of these prisoners in Azerbaijan to be barbaric. He said that Azerbaijan is committing war crimes.
In an interview with reporters at the Sputnik Armenia press hall, he spoke about what happened. “My pain is great. I am also disappointed, but that does not change how I feel about Artsakh.”
Regarding what happened to him, he remembers, “We went to the cathedral in the afternoon. We took videos of criminal evidence. That is when the second strike hit. The projectile flew into the hole caused by the first one. There was a strong explosion. I was severely injured and I was thrown several meters away. That is when they got me out. They got me out from under the rubble, and then they sent me to Stepanakert, and later to Yerevan.”
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The reporter also considers the attack on the cathedral to be a war crime committed by Baku. He believes that efforts need to be made in order for the international community on behalf of the Russian peacekeepers to work on defending the cultural heritage and churches in Shushi.
The Russian reporter is grateful to Armenian doctors for saving his life. He said that he is in his final phase of treatment, and he will soon be returning to Russia.
On October 8th, three Russian reporters were wounded during an Azerbaijani strike on Shushi, particularly on the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral. Yuri Kotenok was in critical condition.
Nelly Grigoryan
