On 24 August, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence reported that it had thwarted a provocation attempt by a sabotage-reconnaissance group of the Armenian armed forces a day earlier, at 5:45 in the morning. 

The report further emphasized that the Armenian group retreated, suffering losses. According to the initial statement from the Azerbaijani MOD, the commander of the Armenian sabotage group Lieutenant Gurgin Alberyan was taken prisoner. 

The Armenian MOD denied that it was a sabotage attempt. The press secretary of the Armenian MOD Shushan Stepanyan said that on 22 August, at about 19:30, officer Gurgen Alaverdyan went missing while he was off base due to unfavourable weather conditions. “The message spread by the ministry of defence of Azerbaijan is misinformation, in which they are trying to present a lost man as a saboteur,” said Stepanyan.

In the meantime, Armenia’s Defence Minister Davit Tonoyan was conducting a working visit to Moscow in order to bolster the country’s defence capabilities. In his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, Tonoyan emphasized that the aggressive rhetoric of some countries and their steps of military nature are aimed at destabilizing and militarising the regional situation. Armenia’s MOD and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation signed an agreement on upgrading and reconstructing Su-25 jets. It was also confirmed by a representative from Russia’s Federal Council of Military-Technical Cooperation that Russia is ready to speak with Armenia regarding the supply of the new batch of Su-30SM 4+ generation jets. 

It was also confirmed that at the invitation of Azerbaijani Minister of Defence Zakir Hasanov, Sergei Shoigu will pay a working visit to Baku on 25 August and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov will visit Moscow the day after.