His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, issued a statement regarding the escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. "With a heavy heart, we received the news of the resumption of armed actions in Nagorno-Karabakh and the first casualties of the renewed confrontation," the Patriarch's statement, published on September 19, stated.

Patriarch Kirill noted that for decades, the Russian Orthodox Church had made every possible effort to restore peace in Nagorno-Karabakh, fostering dialogue between religious communities and peoples of the two neighboring states.

"We have achieved much, foremost preventing the escalation of the conflict into a religious one," emphasized the head of the Russian Church.

"In these trying days, I pray to God that military actions give way to negotiations as soon as possible, and peace is established on the land of Nagorno-Karabakh, where all residents, regardless of nationality or religion, can live in safety and freely profess the faith of their ancestors on legitimate grounds," Patriarch Kirill concluded.

Negotiations on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh have been ongoing since the end of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1994. In 2020, hostilities briefly resumed, and that same year, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a trilateral ceasefire agreement. In 2023, Azerbaijani forces blockaded the Lachin corridor—the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. This blockade caused a shortage of food and medicine in the region.

On September 18, 2023, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced the commencement of local anti-terrorism measures in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian media reported dozens of casualties and injuries, as well as Azerbaijani forces shelling the region's capital, Stepanakert. The Armenian Church has called on the international community to stand up for Nagorno-Karabakh.