UPDATE 1-Russia, US trade diplomatic blame over instability in Karabakh crisis

Moscow and Washington have accused each other of destabilising the South Caucasus region, as thousands of ethnic Armenians fled their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh over fears of ethnic cleansing. Although Armenia had relied on a security partnership with Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union, their relations have frayed badly after President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "We urge Washington to refrain from extremely dangerous words and actions that lead to an artificial increase in anti-Russian sentiment in Armenia," Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, said on messaging app Telegram.