September 2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan clashes
Part of the 2021–2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis
Locations of the skirmishes marked with red squares.
Date 12 September 2022 – 14 September 2022 (1 year, 7 months, 2 weeks and 4 days) Location Armenia–Azerbaijan border Status Ongoing Territorial changes Per Armenia: Azerbaijan occupied 10 km² of Armenian territory[1] Per Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan captures strategic heights along the border[2]
Belligerents
Azerbaijan	Armenia
Commanders and leaders
Ilham Aliyev (President, Commander-in-Chief) Zakir Hasanov (Minister of Defence)	Nikol Pashinyan (Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief) Suren Papikyan (Minister of Defence)
Units involved
Azerbaijani Armed Forces	Armed Forces of Armenia
Casualties and losses
Per Azerbaijan: 71 soldiers killed[3] 2 civillians injured[4]	Per Armenia: 105 soldiers killed[5] 7 civillians injured[6] Azerbaijani claim: 150–200 soldiers killed[7] 2 S-300 launchers destroyed[2]

Clashes erupted between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops on 12 September 2022, along the Armenia–Azerbaijan border.^[8][9] Both sides blamed each other for the escalation.^[10][11][12] The Armenian Defense Ministry said Azerbaijan had attacked Armenian positions near the cities of Vardenis, Goris, Sotk, and Jermuk with artillery and heavy weapons and that it had occupied certain areas of its territory,^[13][11][12] which were later confirmed by satellite images made by NASA.^[14] Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said that Armenia had staged "large-scale provocations" near the Dashkasan, Kalbajar and Lachin regions and that it had captured multiple strategic heights on the border region inside Armenia.^{[15][16][2][17][12]}

The clashes along undemarcated border stem mainly from the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Russia said on 13 September that it had brokered a ceasefire, but both sides confirmed it was broken minutes after coming into effect.^[18][19][20] At least 105 Armenian servicemen were killed, according to a report by Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan.^[5][21] Azerbaijan acknowledged 71 fatalities among its forces.^[3][22]

The clashes erupted shortly after the Russian military suffered serious setbacks in the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive during the invasion of Ukraine, weakening its force projection in the region.^[23][24] Efforts by the EU to secure more gas from Azerbaijan to compensate for the loss of imports from Russia also weakened the EU's ability to mediate the clashes.^[25][26][27]

Background

On 12 May 2021, Azerbaijani soldiers crossed several kilometers into Armenia in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik and occupied about 41 square kilometres (16 sq mi) of Armenian territory.^{[28][29][30][31]} The European Parliament, United States and France – two of three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, called on Azerbaijan to withdraw its troops from internationally recognised Armenian territory.^[32][33]

Further clashes took place in July 2021 and in November 2021, with casualties being reported from both sides. In a joint statement on 17 November 2021, EU rapporteurs called the military operation launched by Azerbaijan on 16 November 2021 the worst violation to date of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement.^[34]

Timeline

12–13 September

On the evening of 12 September, the Armenian Ministry of Defense reported that units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had started firing intensively with artillery and heavy weapons in the direction of Armenian positions and civilian areas in Goris, Artanish, Sotk, Jermuk, Kapan and Ishkhanasar. The Armenian MoD also mentioned that the Azerbaijani side had used UAVs, and was undertaking positional advancement operations in some directions.^[35] The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said that Armenia had staged "large-scale provocations" near the Dashkasan, Kalbajar and Lachin regions and had laid mines along the army's supply roads. The Azerbaijani MoD reported that they were taking measures to "suppress the firing points of the Armenian armed forces and to prevent the expansion of the scale of the confrontation".^[36]

Russia announced on 13 September that it had brokered a ceasefire, but both sides confirmed that it was broken minutes after coming into effect.^[18][19][20]

On 13 September at 14:00, the Armenian MoD announced that the situation in some parts of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border continues to be extremely tense as Azerbaijan continues to attempt positional advances, particularly in the direction of Nerkin Hand, Verin Shorzha, Artanish and Sotk. The Armenian MFA also stated that as a result of Azerbaijani shelling, many residential houses were damaged in the village of Kut, while women and children were evacuated.^[37] Armenia’s Health Ministry stated that three civillians had been injured as a result of Azerbaijani shelling on civillian areas on the first day of the attack.^[38] According to Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, at least 105 Armenian servicemen were killed.^[5] The Azerbaijani MoD announced the death of 71 of its servicemen, 42 of whom were members of the Azerbaijani Army while 8 were from the State Border Service.^[39]

14 September

In the morning of 14 September, the Azerbaijani MoD reported that the Armenian Armed Forces had fired mortars and artillery at Azerbaijani army units stationed in the Kelbajar and Lachin directions during the night and that the army was taking "adequate retaliatory measures".^[40] The Armenian MoD called this "another disinformation" which "serves as an information base for carrying out military aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia".^[41] Armenian MoD also reported that Azerbaijan was shelling Jermuk and Verin Shorzha, using artillery, mortars and large-caliber small arms.^[42] At 11 a.m., the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense and the Prosecutor General's Office issued a joint statement claiming that two Azerbaijani civilians had been injured as a result of the Armenian Armed Forces' shelling.^[4]

Nikol Pashinyan said that Azerbaijan had taken control over certain areas of Armenian territory. Pashinyan added that Armenia had applied to Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for the first time in Armenian history.^[13]

On that same day, an Armenian security official said that they agreed to a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan.^[43][44]

Casualities

Infrastructure damage

According to preliminary data, as a result of Azerbaijani shelling, 192 residental houses were damaged in the Armenian provinces Syunik, Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor with 60 of them being completely damaged.^[45] Human Rights Defender of Armenia stated that more than 2570 people had been displaced from their homes.^[46] A fire broke out in the forests of Jermuk as a result of the shots fired by Azerbaijan.^[47] On September 14, it was reported that Azerbaijani missiles had also struck a Russian FSB office in Gegharkunik Province.^[48]

Reactions

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over the clashes and urged both nations to end new hostilities immediately, followed by a phone call with Ilham Aliyev to express concern over conflict along the Armenia–Azerbaijan border, including Azerbaijani shelling in Armenia, and asked President Aliyev to cease Azerbaijani hostilities.^[49]

Spokesperson for the United States Department of State Ned Price stated that the U.S. was reviewing evidence of Azerbaijani shelling inside Armenia, which has caused "significant damage to Armenian infrastructure," and stressed the need for both parties to end hostilities and agree to a broader de-escalation.^[50]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu condemned Armenian aggression and the new Armenian offensive against Azerbaijan, and voiced support for further negotiations.^[51]

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on both parties to adhere to the Russian-brokered ceasefire of 13 September. It refrained from saying who Russia saw as responsible for the escalation. It also stated that the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be resolved through purely political and diplomatic means.^[52]

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Azerbaijan to return to an observance of the ceasefire agreement and respect the integrity of Armenia.^[53][54][55] France raised the conflict as a topic of discussion at the UN Security Council.^[56]

The Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States expressed concern and condemned the Armenian provocation of the hostilities. It also called on Armenia to comply with the ongoing agreements reached between the two countries.^[57]

The Chair of European Parliament Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus (DSCA) issued a statement on the what it called Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia, strongly condemning the "large-scale military attack" of Azerbaijani forces against targets in Armenian territory.^[58] A Joint statement by leading MEPs condemned the military confrontations and urged Azerbaijan to immediately end its offensive operations and respect Armenian territorial sovereignty.^[59]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus condemned the Azerbaijani assault against Armenian positions.^[60]

The Ministry of External Affairs of India called upon "the aggressor side to immediately cease hostilities".^[61]

Laurence Broers, an associate fellow at the Russia and Eurasia Programme of Chatham House, said that Azerbaijan was the aggressor, noting a possible sentiment in Azerbaijan of an opportunity to deploy its military strength to achieve its goals. He stated a risk existed of new buffer zones being established that would practically fragment Armenia and criticized outside actors for an inability to prevent the conflict and stop that negative outcome.^[62][63]

Freedom House called on Azerbaijan to "cease their deadly attacks" on Armenian targets and return to peace negotiations, stating that "military attacks on sovereign nations have no place in the rules-based international order".^[64]

See also

• Armenia–Azerbaijan relations
• List of conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia

References