Nagorno-Karabakh residents say 'disastrous' blockade choking supplies

FILE PHOTO: An ethnic Armenian soldier looks through binoculars as he stands at fighting positions near the village of Taghavard in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, January 11, 2021. Picture taken January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo

TBILISI (Reuters) - Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh say it is getting harder to access food, medicines and other essential supplies as an Azerbaijani blockade of the breakaway region drags into its ninth month.

The United Nations Security Council will discuss the blockade on Wednesday, after a former International Criminal Court prosecutor this month said the blockade may amount to a "genocide" of the local Armenian population - an assertion that Azerbaijan's lawyers said was unsubstantiated and inaccurate.