Azerbaijani authorities have committed another act of cultural vandalism in Shushi, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), by completely destroying the historic Old Armenian-Russian Cemetery in the city.

This was documented by the international monitoring organization Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW). Satellite images studied by CHW show that the aforesaid historical and cultural site was wiped off the face of the earth between May 9 and 14. The destruction was carried out under the pretext of the construction of a sewage and rainwater treatment plant in Shushi.

At least 35 tombstones, dating from 1810 to 1871, were preserved in this cemetery. The remains of 19th-century Armenian residents of Shushi, artisans, doctors, civil servants, and Russian soldiers were buried here. Among them was Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the 42nd Rifle Regiment, who participated in the heroic defense of Shushi in 1826, as well as Moscow-born Sofia Regina Reander, whose tombstone had a Latin inscription.

In addition to the 19th-century memorial stones, there were also five medieval Armenian cross-stones in the cemetery. They irrefutably proved that this area had been an integral part of the Armenian spiritual and cultural environment since the Middle Ages.

The CHW records that this spiritual-historical area had withstood all wars, political upheavals, and changes of power, but in 2026, under Azerbaijani control, it was completely destroyed. This is another recorded case of the Azerbaijani regime erasing the Armenian mark after the occupation of Artsakh and the forced displacement of its local Armenian population.