The Azerbaijani government has announced the start of “anti-terrorist measures” on the territory of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (officially named the Republic of Artsakh), which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is primarily inhabited by Armenians.
According to the country’s Defense Ministry, Azerbaijani troops will use “high-precision weapons on the front line and in-depth to disable the positions of the Armenian armed forces’ formations, their long-term firing points, their combat resources, and their military facilities.”
Among other areas, Azerbaijani forces have begun firing on Stepanakert (or Khankendi in Azerbaijani), the unrecognized republic’s capital.
Since December 2022, Nagorno-Karabakh has been cut off from the outside world by people claiming to be “eco-activists” who have blocked the only road into the region and who are backed by the Azerbaijani authorities. Residents have reported critical shortages of food and supplies and at least one person has reportedly died of malnutrition.
This is a developing story.