Half of Nagorno-Karabakh population displaced by Armenia and Azerbaijan clashes

As mediators prepare to meet in Geneva, officials say up to 75,000 people have been forced to flee fighting in breakaway region

Clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have displaced half of the population of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to its rights ombudsman, as international mediators were set to hold their first meeting in Geneva.

Russian president, Vladimir Putin, urged an end to a huge tragedy" in an interview with state-run television on Wednesday, as new strikes hit Karabakh's main city Stepanakert and Armenia said the fighting was raging along the entire frontline.