2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh — 2023 military offensive against the self-declared breakaway state of Artsakh
Azerbaijan's 2023 offensive ended the self-declared Republic of Artsakh and caused the mass exodus of nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Key Facts
- Offensive dates
- 19–20 September 2023
- Ceasefire reached
- 20 September 2023, one day after offensive began
- Artsakh dissolution decree
- Signed 28 September 2023, effective 1 January 2024
- Population displacement
- Nearly entire Armenian population fled to Armenia
- Blockade preceding offensive
- 10-month Azerbaijani blockade causing supply shortages
- Peacekeeping mediator
- Russian peacekeeping contingent
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A 10-month Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh produced severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential goods for the region's Armenian population. This escalating humanitarian crisis coincided with Azerbaijan's longstanding claim to Nagorno-Karabakh as de jure sovereign territory and its objective to secure full disarmament and surrender of the Artsakh Defence Army.
On 19–20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the self-declared Republic of Artsakh in Nagorno-Karabakh, violating the 2020 ceasefire. Within one day, a surrender agreement was brokered by the Russian peacekeeping contingent, requiring the disarmament of the Artsakh Defence Army and the withdrawal of all ethnic Armenian soldiers from the region.
President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on 28 September 2023 dissolving all Artsakh state institutions by 1 January 2024. Nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population fled through the Lachin corridor to Armenia. Human rights organizations and genocide prevention experts raised multiple alerts over ethnic cleansing, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent