Today marks the fifth anniversary of the 44-day war. Early in the morning of September 27, at around 07:10, Azerbaijan launched an offensive along the entire line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as in some parts of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Heavy artillery, drones, and aviation were used from the first hours of the war. Martial law and general mobilization were declared in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Heavy fighting continued for forty-four days. Three attempts were made to stop the war, but in vain: the agreements were not respected, and the Azerbaijani armed forces continued their attacks.
Azerbaijan had almost completely taken control of Karabakh, extending its reach as far as Shushi. Only on the night of November 9-10, when a trilateral statement was signed at the mediation of the Russian President, did military operations cease, and a Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh.
As a result of the war, the Armenian side lost 3,830 lives, of which 3,752 were service members and 78 were civilians. The fate of 195 people remains unknown, including 175 service members and 20 civilians. According to official Azerbaijani data, they have lost more than 2,900 victims and have six missing.
September 27 marked the beginning of one of the most tragic pages in modern history.
The status quo formed after the 44-day war was maintained until September 19, 2023, when Azerbaijan launched an attack on Artsakh, which had been under blockade for more than nine months. After the Artsakh population left, Nagorno-Karabakh was completely under Azerbaijani control.
