Putin's "mini-NATO" in peril as Russian peacekeepers killed by Azeri troops

Russian peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh were killed during shelling, the Kremlin said Wednesday. This has dealt a blow to the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as Azerbaijan claimed control of the breakaway region following a brief military offensive.

Russia's Defense Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday saying that a car carrying Russian peacekeepers came under fire and that all of the servicemen died. The announcement came shortly after Azerbaijan launched attacks on the region, and ethnic Armenians in control of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a Moscow-proposed ceasefire.