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Hundreds of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh flee to Armenia

Ethnic Armenians begin an exodus in the South Caucasus after Azerbaijan defeats the breakaway region’s fighters.

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
People from Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region wait in a bus upon their arrival at a temporary accommodation centre in the town of Goris, Armenia. [Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters]

By News Agencies

Published On 25 Sep 2023

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The first refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh have arrived in Armenia after Azerbaijan’s military captured full control of the disputed region.

Tens of thousands of people have been impacted by the latest fighting with hundreds entering Armenia as of Sunday night.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported its peacekeepers, who were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, helped transport 311 civilians, including 102 children.

In December, Azerbaijan imposed a blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, alleging the Armenian government was using it for mineral extraction and illicit weapons shipments to separatist forces.

The closure denied basic food and fuel supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh’s 120,000 people.

The region, whose population is majority ethnic Armenian, is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh wait at a checkpoint in the village of Kornidzor, Armenia. [Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters]
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Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
The Armenian government said late on September 24, 2023, that a total of 1,050 people had crossed into the country from Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. [Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters]
Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
A convoy with the first group of about 30 people from Nagorno-Karabakh park at a checkpoint near Kornidzor. [Vasily Krestyaninov/AP Photo]
Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he expected about 120,000 civilians in the region in the South Caucasus to leave for Armenia because they fear 'ethnic cleansing'. [AP Photo]
Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
Russian peacekeepers in the region are helping relocate people in Nagorno-Karabakh who want to leave. [AP Photo]
Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
People from Nagorno-Karabakh wait to check into a hotel in Goris, Armenia. [Vasily Krestyaninov/AP Photo]
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Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
Separatist fighters in Nagorno-Karabakh were forced to declare a ceasefire last week after a decisive 24-hour military operation by Azerbaijan. [Vasily Krestyaninov/AP Photo]
Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has promised to guarantee the rights and security of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenians call Artsakh. [Vasily Krestyaninov/AP Photo]