Thousands of ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan seizes control in lightning offensive

Lines of cars flee enclave over fears of persecution after lightning offensive

Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday in lines of cars which stretched for kilometres, after Azerbaijan took control of the breakaway region sparking fears of persecution.

Desperate residents of the main city sent videos showing families stocking up vehicles and sitting in tailbacks which have brought the mountainous road to Armenia to a standstill.

They told The Independent people chose to leave fearing abuse at the hands of the Azerbaijani authorities and a burgeoning humanitarian crisis as food, fuel, gas and electricity were increasingly scarce following a 10-month blockade.

The Azerbaijani military routed Armenian forces in a 24-hour blitz last week, forcing the authorities of the breakaway region to agree to lay down weapons. They also agreed to start talks on the “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, into Azerbaijan, after three decades of separatist rule.

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh wait near Kornidzor, the town in Syunik region, Armenia (AP)

Azerbaijan has pledged to respect the rights of ethnic Armenians and to restore the supply routes they cut in December.

But Artak Beglaryan, a former adviser to the self-declared government of Artsakh, told The Independent that people fear reprisals and ethnic cleansing and so “almost all the villages” and large parts of the main city Stepanakert, which Azerbaijan calls Khankendi, “are emptying”.

The leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh said in total nearly 7,000 people fled to Armenia on Monday alone.

“They are fleeing because of the genocidal policy of Azerbaijan, the blockade, their aggression, and the failure of Russian peacekeepers to guarantee protection,” Mr Beglaryan added with desperation.

“It is impossible to live under Azerbaijani subjugation. The Azerbaijani state and society is full of hatred of Armenians.

“The international community is just looking at this and saying sorry. Nothing else is being done. We are frustrated with everyone. We are frustrated with humanity.”

Siranush Sargsyan, a freelance Armenian journalist who also spoke to The Independent from Stepanakert, sent videos of lines of vehicles trying to escape.

Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh on their way to Kornidzor (AP)

“I have never seen so many cars together, people are scared the roads will close and they won’t be able to leave so they are going now. And the other problem is food, it is hard to try to find something to eat,” she said.

“Nobody wants to leave, we just want to have a life. If we know that we are protected we would stay but who is going to give us that guarantee?”

She said the ethnic Armenians had suffered 10 months of “psychological terror” and starvation, because of Azerbaijan’s effective siege. Breaking down into tears, she accused the international community had prioritised their own economic interests over the lives of ethnic Armenians.

Refugees wait after crossing the border and arriving at a registration centre of the Armenian foreign affairs ministry (AFP)

“The whole world was silent because our lives were not as important as Azerbaijani gas. The world exchanged our lives for gas.”

Both sides have been locked in a bloody battle over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. It is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan – which is backed by Turkey – but home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who have enjoyed de facto independence since then.

In 2020, a six-week war erupted during which nearly 7,000 people were killed as Azerbaijan reclaimed swathes of the region. Russia, historically a close ally of Armenia, brokered a truce and dispatched 2,000 peacekeepers. But in recent months Moscow has taken a step back since building stronger ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey after suffering crippling sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

The world exchanged our lives for gas

Siranush Sargsyan, a freelance Armenian journalist

And so on Tuesday, the Russian-agreed true was broken by the Azerbaijan army who launched a 24-hour string of lightning strikes against the severely outnumbered and outgunned breakaway forces. The area had been struggling with a humanitarian crisis due to Azerbaijan’s blockade of the “Lachin Corridor” – the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia – piling on further pressure.

Now thousands are on the move. Moscow said that Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh were assisting the evacuation. A second round of meetings between Azerbaijani officials and separatist representatives begin in Khojaly on Tuesday after the opening meeting last week.

The international community has been quick to urge Baku to protect the ethnic Armenians.

On Monday, the German government said Azerbaijan had a responsibility to protect rights. The day before, French president Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Armenia and Armenians, saying that France will mobilise food and medical aid for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and keep working towards a “sustainable peace” in the region.

Meanwhile, the head of the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, visited Armenia on Monday to “affirm US support for Armenia’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and democracy and to help address humanitarian needs stemming from the recent violence in Nagorno-Karabakh”.

She was joined by US Department of State acting assistant secretary for Europe and Eurasian affairs Yuri Kim.

“The United States is deeply concerned about reports on the humanitarian conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh and calls for unimpeded access for international humanitarian organisations and commercial traffic,” USAid said.

In an address to the nation on Sunday, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said his government was working with international partners to protect the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mr Pashinyhan has faced growing calls for his resignation over what demonstrators have said is his failure to protect Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.