Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported that its serviceman was seriously injured as a result of intensive shelling from Armenia in the Zod direction (Sotk, Gegharkunik region). The number of Armenian soldiers wounded in battles has grown to four, and there is no threat to their lives.
Yerevan claims that the conflict began with an attack by the Azerbaijani military on an ambulance. The Azerbaijani provocation at Sotk is aimed at nullifying the progress in the negotiation process after the Washington meeting and disrupting further dialogue, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted.
Baku stated that the units of the Armenian armed forces subjected the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani army to intensive fire, deliberately committing a provocation.