Today marks fifth anniversary of 44-day Artsakh war

Five years have passed since 27 September 2020, when Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), using heavy artillery and aviation.

The war raged for 44 days, claiming thousands of lives and leaving many more injured or missing. Civilian areas in Artsakh came under heavy shelling, causing widespread destruction and displacement.

Berd newspaper said that “the scars of the devastating persist,” underscoring the immense loss of both lives and homes.

"I witnessed the last peaceful, bright day of Artsakh. We once had the most beautiful homeland, full of countless shades. Now our lives are shattered ruins, our destinies broken," Artsakh resident Narine Gabrielyan wrote on Facebook, holding Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responsible for the war and its outcome.

She shared a photo taken by Artsakh photojournalist Davit Ghahramanyan which shows a grieving father who lost his mother and two sons beneath the rubble on 6 November 2020.

Writer Anna Mangasaryan recalled the first morning of war: “It was a Sunday morning… everything seemed calm, ordinary. And then, at 7:10 a.m., sounds unlike any reality, sounds that stole our morning, peace and breath. Life stopped that moment and never returned to what it was. We thought we had seen the worst, but the inferno of September 2023 proved otherwise. Rest in peace, boys! I wish tenacity and inner peace to the survivors, so we can live, remember and never forget.”