2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
Part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Military situation in Nagorno-Karabakh on 20 September 2023
  Areas of internationally recognised Armenian territory occupied by Azerbaijan
  Areas captured by Azerbaijan during the offensive
  Areas of internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan[1][2] in Nagorno-Karabakh proper that were de facto under the control of Artsakh
Date19–20 September 2023 (2023-09-19 – 2023-09-20)
(1 day)
Location
Nagorno-Karabakh
Result

Azerbaijani victory[3]

Territorial
changes

During the offensive:

  • Per Azerbaijan, 90 combat positions captured[8]

Post-ceasefire:

  • Azerbaijan regains control of all of Nagorno-Karabakh
Belligerents
 Azerbaijan[a]  Artsakh[b]
Commanders and leaders
Units involved
 Artsakh Defence Army
Casualties and losses
192 servicemen killed[9]
511 servicemen wounded[9]		 200+ servicemen killed[10]
400+ servicemen wounded[10]

27 Armenian and 1 Azerbaijani civilian killed
200+ Armenian and 1 Azerbaijani civilian injured[c]

5 Russian peacekeepers killed by Azerbaijan[13][14]

100,617 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh as of 3 October 2023[15]

Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the ceasefire agreement signed in the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020.[16][17] The offensive took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is de jure a part of Azerbaijan, and was a de facto independent republic. The stated goal of the offensive was the complete disarmament and unconditional surrender of Artsakh, as well as the withdrawal of all ethnic Armenian soldiers present in the region.[18] The offensive occurred in the midst of an escalating crisis caused by Azerbaijan blockading Artsakh, which has resulted in significant scarcities of essential supplies such as food, medicine, and other goods in the affected region.[19]

One day after the offensive started on 20 September, a ceasefire agreement described as a written agreement for the surrender of Artsakh was reached at the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent where it was agreed that the Artsakh Defence Army, the armed forces of Artsakh would be disarmed.[20][21][22][23] Ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan were nonetheless reported by both Artsakhi residents and officials until early October.[24][25] On 28 September, the president of Artsakh, Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree to dissolve all state institutions by 1 January 2024, bringing the existence of the breakaway state to an end.[26]

The offensive and subsequent surrender resulted in a flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, in which nearly the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled the region for neighboring countries, primarily Armenia.[27][28][29] Human rights organizations and experts in genocide prevention issued multiple alerts[d] that the region's Armenian population was at risk or actively being subjected to ethnic cleansing and genocide,[38][39] as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity.[40] Luis Moreno Ocampo, the inaugural prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has classified the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians as a second Armenian genocide, and opined that the inaction of the international community encouraged Azerbaijan to act with impunity.[41][42]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Armenians Rage Against Last-Minute Peace Deal". Foreign Policy. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. ^ "General Assembly adopts resolution reaffirming territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, demanding withdrawal of all Armenian forces". United Nations. 14 March 2008. Archived from the original on 18 August 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Azerbaijan Says Aims For 'Peaceful Reintegration' Of Karabakh Armenians". Barron's. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023. The offensive was seen as a major victory for Azerbaijan, which won a 2020 war with Armenia and has since sought to repopulate Karabakh.
  4. ^ "Armenian separatists in Karabakh surrender and agree to ceasefire with Azerbaijan". Reuters. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023. Under the agreement, confirmed by both sides and effective from 1 pm (0900 GMT) on Wednesday, separatist forces will disband and disarm and talks on the future of the region and the ethnic Armenians who live there will start on Thursday.
  5. ^ Ebel, Francesca (28 September 2023). "Defeated by force, Nagorno-Karabakh government declares it will dissolve". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference HRW1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Azerbaijan's Aliyev calls snap election after Karabakh victory". Reuters. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  8. ^ Mehman, Asif (20 September 2023). "More than 90 combat positions of Armenian armed forces units come under control of Azerbaijani Army". Trend News Agency. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b "192 Azerbaijani servicemen martyred during the local anti-terrorist measures". Azeri Press Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Արցախում առնվազն 200 զոհ կա, ավելի քան 400 վիրավոր. ՄԻՊ". azatutyun.am. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Ermənistan silahlı qüvvələrinin Şuşaya atəşi nəticəsində Şuşa Şəhəri Dövlət Qoruğunun mühənidisi həlak olub" (in Azerbaijani). Trend News Agency. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Shelling-injured digger driver in Azerbaijan's Aghdam by separatists, details incident". Trend News Agency. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Замглавы МИДа — РБК: точка в конфликте Еревана и Баку не поставлена" (in Russian). RBK. 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023. К сожалению, шесть наших военнослужащих погибли при исполнении своего служебного долга.
  14. ^ "Russian Troops Killed in 'Fog of War,' Azerbaijan Diplomat Says Amid Probe". Newsweek. 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference a617 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Armenia, Azerbaijan: Baku Launches Military Operation In Nagorno-Karabakh". Stratfor. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023. ...the Russian peacekeeping contingent is incapable of preventing Azerbaijan's seizure of the region, despite this being a clear violation of the November 2020 ceasefire brokered by Russia that ended the last war.
  17. ^ "Joint statement on Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh". European Parliament. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023. We condemn in the strongest terms today's pre-planned and unjustified attack of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh...We recall that the attack takes place in the context of a major humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, following Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor for the past nine months, in violation of Baku's commitments under the ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 and of the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice. Humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh needs to be fully and permanently restored.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Roth, Andrew (19 September 2023). "Azerbaijan launches 'anti-terrorist' campaign in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Karabakh separatists to disband after surrender to Azerbaijan". France 24. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Genocide Alert: Artsakh surrenders to Azerbaijan". Genocide Watch. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Russia says Armenian separatists surrender arms after Azerbaijan reclaims Nagorno-Karabakh". AP News. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Russian-mediated ceasefire announced in Nagorno-Karabakh". Armenpress. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  24. ^ "МВД Нагорного Карабаха обвинило Азербайджан в нарушении договора о прекращении огня". Meduza. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  25. ^ "Aserbaidschan soll Waffenruhe gebrochen haben". Rheinische Post. 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  26. ^ Ebel, Francesca (28 September 2023). "For three decades, Nagorno-Karabakh sought statehood. That quest is dead". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Guarantee Right to Return to Nagorno Karabakh". Human Rights Watch. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Armenian Exodus From Nagorno-Karabakh Tops 100,000; UN Readies For Visit". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  29. ^ "More than 80% of Nagorno-Karabakh's population flees as future uncertain for those who remain". Yahoo Finance. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh raises the risk of genocide against ethnic Armenians in the region". International Federation for Human Rights. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023. 'We have to prevent a mass expulsion of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh,' remarks Oleksandra Matviichuk, FIDH's Vice-President, 'and we fear that the worst is yet to come for civilians who are left at the mercy of the advancing hostile forces unless the international community intervenes.' The international community must intervene to prevent genocide.
  31. ^ "Genocide Warning: Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh", Genocide Watch, 23 September 2022, archived from the original on 27 February 2023, retrieved 3 January 2023
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  36. ^ "Azerbaijani activists end Nagorno-Karabakh sit-in as Baku tightens grip on region". Politico. 28 April 2023. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023. France's foreign minister has joined international observers in warning of the risk of 'ethnic cleansing' in the breakaway region.
  37. ^ "Against Backdrop of Baku's Ongoing Blockade of Lachin Corridor, Menendez Blasts Commerce Plans to Permit Export of Lethal Weapons to Azerbaijan". www.foreign.senate.gov. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023. Today, Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh face an acute humanitarian crisis, threats of ethnic cleansing, and chronic shortages of water, energy, healthcare, and food.
  38. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0222 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  39. ^ "Live updates: Stepanakert under fire as Azerbaijan launches assault on Nagorno-Karabakh". OC Media. 19 September 2023. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023. Political analyst and peace activist Bahruz Samadov said the goal was the ethnic cleansing of the region's Armenian population. 'The ultimate goal is to de-Armenianize Nagorno-Karabakh. The constant ontological insecurity that Azerbaijan preserves in [Nagorno-Karabakh] is the policy that has a destination — to destroy Nagorno-Karabakh's agency. The same policy of blockage and bombardment already took place in the 1990s.'
  40. ^ Deutsch, Anthony; van den Berg, Stephanie (29 September 2023). "Nagorno-Karabakh exodus amounts to a war crime, legal experts say". Reuters. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
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