The Italian analytical periodical Osservatoria Balcani e Caucaso published an article entitled "Nagorno Karabakh, life under the blockade," which describes the dire situation in which the Armenians of Artsakh find themselves.

"The people of Nagorno Karabakh spent Christmas and New Year under blockade by Azerbaijan, a situation that has now lasted for almost two months. The only road that connects Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia, the so-called Lachin Corridor, has in fact been blocked since December 12 by demonstrators from Azerbaijani organisations, calling themselves environmentalists.

The humanitarian crisis affecting the 120,000 inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh is by now apparent and continuously worsening: lack of baby food and essential medicines, empty shops, total lack of vegetables and fruit, periodic cuts in the supply of electricity and gas.

The Azerbaijani demonstrators blocked the road on the basis of environmental demands but in fact they are remote-controlled from Baku and their requests have entirely political connotations, including the request for the establishment of an Azerbaijani checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, the appointment of representatives of Azerbaijani state bodies in Nagorno Karabakh, and so on.

The Lachin Corridor connects Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, with the city of Goris in Armenia and, as enshrined in the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan trilateral declaration signed on November 9, 2020, is under the control of Russian peacekeepers. This road is the only one that connects Nagorno Karabakh with the outside world, a road through which all kinds of goods necessary for the life of the Armenian population are transported.

"There is no product, nothing. Do you know how many shops I have tried for a piece of cheese? My grandson asked for cheese, he was at home sick. Not to mention fruit and sweets. It's hard to get food, what are we going to do?”, says Gayane Poghosyan, a resident of Stepanakert.

Tonya Muradyan, an employee of a grocery store, confirms that since the beginning of January there is almost no food left in the shop, only juices and alcohol. In Stepanakert, the number of closed shops has increased after the Christmas holidays, even though many were already closed at the end of 2022. Even those who enter the pharmacy often leave empty-handed," the Italian edition notes.

41 kindergartens and 56 preschool groups have been fully or partially closed since January 9 due to worsening food shortages under the blockade. 6,828 children can no longer attend kindergartens and crèches, being deprived of adequate care, nutrition and education, the article stresses.

"In order to mitigate the alarming humanitarian crisis underway, the Parliament of Nagorno Karabakh has called on the civilised world to take concrete actions in the direction of opening the corridor or promoting an air bridge with Stepanakert.

Since the beginning of the blockade, many countries and international organisations have condemned Azerbaijan's actions and called for the blockade to be lifted. The issue was also discussed by the United Nations Security Council. The European Court of Human Rights has invited   Azerbaijan to take all necessary and sufficient measures to lift the blockade. The matter will also soon be discussed at the United Nations International Court of Justice (The Hague) as part of the work of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination," writes Osservatoria Balcani e Caucaso.