Second Nagorno-Karabakh War

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of <a href="/facts/Nagorno-Karabakh/c85rk9Xk">Nagorno-Karabakh</a> and the <a href="/facts/Armenian-occupied_territories_surrounding_Nagorno-Karabakh/cAGnVHzF">surrounding occupied territories</a>. It was a major escalation of an unresolved <a href="/facts/Nagorno-Karabakh_conflict/PKwHByIg">conflict over the region</a>, involving <a href="/facts/Azerbaijan/Ho5joRTJ">Azerbaijan</a>, <a href="/facts/Armenia/t3GQx9sU">Armenia</a> and the <a href="/facts/Political_status_of_Nagorno-Karabakh/SoPWYFAx">self-declared</a> Armenian breakaway state of <a href="/facts/Republic_of_Artsakh/3gTq2aY4">Artsakh</a>. The war lasted for 44 days and resulted in Azerbaijani victory, with the defeat igniting <a href="/facts/2020%25E2%2580%25932021_Armenian_protests/086ya6XA">anti-government protests in Armenia</a>. Post-war skirmishes continued in the region, including substantial clashes in 2022.
Fighting began on the morning of 27 September, with an Azerbaijani offensive along the <a href="/facts/Line_of_Contact_(Nagorno-Karabakh)/oe9wm36w">line of contact</a> established in the aftermath of the <a href="/facts/First_Nagorno-Karabakh_War/Qebuyqdf">First Nagorno-Karabakh War</a> (1988–1994). Clashes were particularly intense in the less mountainous districts of southern Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey provided military support to Azerbaijan.
The war was marked by the deployment of <a href="/facts/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle/qt87T19t">drones</a>, sensors, long-range heavy artillery and <a href="/facts/Missile/C5VwQClz">missile</a> strikes, as well as by state propaganda and the use of official social media accounts in online <a href="/facts/Information_warfare/sMMLWoeu">information warfare</a>. In particular, Azerbaijan's widespread use of drones was seen as crucial in determining the conflict's outcome. Numerous countries and the <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">United Nations</a> strongly condemned the fighting and called on both sides to de-escalate tensions and resume meaningful negotiations. Three ceasefires brokered by Russia, France, and the United States failed to stop the conflict.
Following <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Shusha_(2020)/34hqxRQo">the capture</a> of <a href="/facts/Shusha/l73cUUwx">Shusha</a>, the second-largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, a <a href="/facts/2020_Nagorno-Karabakh_ceasefire_agreement/fBccxgMU">ceasefire agreement</a> was signed, ending all hostilities in the area from 10 November 2020. The agreement resulted in a major shift regarding the control of the territories in Nagorno-Karabakh and the areas surrounding it. Approximately 2,000 Russian soldiers were deployed as peacekeeping forces along the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, with a mandate of at least five years. Following the end of the war, an unconfirmed number of <a href="/facts/Armenian_POWs_during_the_Second_Nagorno-Karabakh_War/aEa6pakm">Armenian prisoners of war</a> were held captive in Azerbaijan, with reports of mistreatment and charges filed against them, leading to <a href="/facts/Republic_of_Armenia_v._Republic_of_Azerbaijan/7CVxEf4K">a case</a> at the <a href="/facts/International_Court_of_Justice/7q8I7oSs">International Court of Justice</a>.
The later <a href="/facts/2023_Azerbaijani_offensive_in_Nagorno-Karabakh/SuNwHhbK">2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh</a> would see the entirety of the disputed territory come under the control of Azerbaijan.

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War open-in-new

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War