Azerbaijan raises flag over the Karabakh capital to reaffirm control of the disputed region
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has raised his nation’s flag over the capital of Karabakh in a ceremony reaffirming Baku’s control of the disputed region
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has raised his nation’s flag over the capital of Karabakh in a ceremony reaffirming Baku’s control of the disputed region.
The Azerbaijani leader delivered a speech and raised the flag over the city, which is known as Khankendi by Azerbaijan and Stepanakert by Armenians, the presidential office said Sunday.
The Karabakh region, which was previously called Nagorno-Karabakh and is known to Armenians as Artsakh, is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, but became a breakaway state under the control of ethnic Armenian forces in 1994 following a six-year conflict.
A subsequent war in 2020 returned control of much of the area to Azerbaijan, until a lightning offensive last month forced separatists to relinquish the rest of the region.
In a 24-hour campaign that began on Sept. 19, the Azerbaijani army routed the area’s undermanned and outgunned Armenian forces, forcing them to capitulate.
The majority of the area’s ethnic Armenian population later fled the region, fearing reprisals or losing the freedom to practice their religion and customs.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.