Four hour-long rolling blackouts will be introduced in Artsakh

YEREVAN, January 16. /ARKA/. Four hour-long rolling blackouts will be introduced in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) starting from January 17, the Artsakh government said. Currently, the blackouts last two hours.

According to the government's press service, this decision was made on Monday to ensure the minimum power consumption by the population for as long as possible.

"The power supply from Armenia to Artsakh is still disrupted because of the damage (or sabotage) to the high voltage Armenia-Artsakh transmission line, which is in a territory controlled by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani authorities do not allow Artsakh repair teams to visit the damage site to fix it.

Besides, the government will introduce ration stamps for the population on January 20 to buy essential food from as many as 200 stores in the capital Stepanakert and 400 stores in the regions.

The only road connecting Artsakh and Armenia has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022. Before the blockade about 400 tons of food was supplied to Artsakh from Armenia daily.

About a thousand people (including several dozen children, have been separated from their families.

All planned surgical operations are suspended. After pressure from the ECHR, following the death of a seriously ill person in a Stepanakert hospital, and thanks to the mediation of the International Red Cross, some patients are being transferred by special convoys to medical centres in Armenia.

Pharmacies are running out of stocks of all medicines.  Fuel is running out, food is running out and shops are empty. Kindergartens are closed because it is not possible to provide food for children

Thus, 120,000 people (including 30,000 children and 20,000 elderly) are on the verge of a humanitarian crisis. -0-