MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax) - Russian peacekeepers are controlling the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and their actions have averted a humanitarian disaster there, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Valery Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches on Thursday.
"The Lachin Corridor and the Nagorno-Karabakh territory are fully under the control of Russian peacekeeping units now," Gerasimov said.
The peacekeepers were sent to Nagorno-Karabakh to prevent a humanitarian disaster and to protect the local civilians, and they are enforcing the ceasefire agreements at 23 observation outposts, he said.
Over 43,000 refugees have returned to Nagorno-Karabakh, he said.
"To ensure safe living conditions for the population, work is being done to clear terrain and roads of explosive objects. Over 280 hectares of the territory and over 100 kilometers of roads have been cleared. About 9,000 explosive objects have been detected and neutralized," Gerasimov said.