Azerbaijan has initiated military operations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a move that raises concerns about the potential for a new conflict in this historically volatile area. Baku has justified its actions by claiming the need to restore constitutional order and remove Armenian military forces from the region.
Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh by Armenians, is officially recognized as part of Azerbaijani territory. However, it is administered by breakaway ethnic Armenian authorities who assert ancestral ties to the region. This disputed area has been at the centre of two major wars, including the most recent conflict in 2020, since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Social media footage captured loud and repeated shelling in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh (known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan), indicating an escalation in the conflict. The Karabakh separatist human rights ombudsman, Gegham Stepanyan, reported multiple civilian casualties due to strikes by Azerbaijani military forces, although Reuters has not independently verified this information.
Azerbaijan's defence ministry stated that its operation aims to disarm and secure the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from its territories while neutralizing their military infrastructure. It emphasized that the military was targeting legitimate military objectives using high-precision weapons, not civilians. They also announced the establishment of humanitarian corridors for civilians, including one leading to Armenia.
Ethnic Armenian forces in Karabakh have reported attempts by Azerbaijani forces to breach their defences following heavy shelling. However, they claim to be holding their positions at present.
Armenia, which had been engaged in peace talks with Azerbaijan, including discussions regarding Karabakh's future, condemned Baku's actions as "full-scale aggression" against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. They accused Azerbaijan of shelling towns and villages. Armenia called for the intervention of the UN Security Council members and Russian peacekeepers on the ground.
Russia, which had previously brokered a fragile ceasefire after the 2020 war, urged all parties to cease fighting. Armenia criticized Russia for being too preoccupied with its war in Ukraine to ensure its own security and accused Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh of failing in their duties.
Against the backdrop of ongoing artillery fire, Ruben Vardanyan, a former high-ranking official in Karabakh's ethnic Armenian administration, appealed for Armenia to recognize Karabakh's self-declared independence from Azerbaijan. He also called on the international community to impose sanctions on Baku, emphasizing the dire situation for Karabakh's inhabitants, including a significant number of vulnerable individuals.
Amid these developments, the Armenian government convened a security council meeting to address the situation, while concerned citizens gathered in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, to demand action.
Baku initiated its operation after alleging that six of its citizens were killed by landmines in two separate incidents, which it attributed to "illegal Armenian armed groups." Armenia refuted these claims as false.
Notably, this escalation followed the simultaneous delivery of much-needed food and medicine to Karabakh through two routes, which appeared to offer a potential resolution to mounting tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Previously, Baku had imposed extensive restrictions on the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Armenia and Karabakh, citing concerns about arms smuggling. Yerevan had accused Baku of causing a humanitarian catastrophe through these actions, a charge Azerbaijan denied. Armenia had also expressed concerns that Azerbaijan's diplomatic stance indicated preparations for military action.
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