Exactly one year ago, on September 27, 2020, at 7:10am, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military aggression against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). At the same time, the adversary launched an attack—using air force, artillery, drones, including shelling of peaceful settlements—in almost all directions of the line of contact.

The hostilities took place along the entire Artsakh-Azerbaijani line of contact, as well as in some parts of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, and lasted 44 days.

On the first day of the war unleashed by the Turkish-Azerbaijani forces, martial law and a general mobilization were declared in Armenia and Artsakh.

During the 44 days of the war, Azerbaijan used weapons—i.e., cluster missiles, phosphorous weapons, and drones—that are prohibited by international law, and targeted the civilian population and infrastructure of Artsakh and Armenia.

With the help of Turkey, thousands of Syrian mercenary terrorists were transferred to Azerbaijan and then sent to the Artsakh battlefront before and during the war. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the total number of Syrian militants involved in the fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh had reached at least 2,350, of whom 320 have returned to Syria renouncing their pay and taking part in the fighting. The participation of mercenary terrorists was also reported by the international media, and the Armenian side had captured two of them, but handed them over after the end of the war—and in exchange for Armenian captives.

On November 9, 2020, the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan signed a trilateral statement according to which most of the territory of Artsakh—i.e. the Karvachar region, Akna region, Lachin region, except for the Lachin corridor, Shushi city, most of the Hadrut region, as well as some villages in the Askeran and Martakert Regions—were handed over to Azerbaijan, and the rest of Artsakh is now guarded by Russian peacekeepers.

Throughout the war, Turkey has openly provided military assistance to Azerbaijan.

As a result of the catastrophic war, the Armenian side had—according to official data—at least 4,000 casualties, and there are hundreds of missing and captives.