| Bombardment of Martuni | |
|---|---|
| Part of2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war | |
.jpg) Russian peacekeeper in the damaged city of Martuni | |
| Location | Martuni,Nagorno-Karabakh |
| Coordinates | 39°47′43″N47°06′47″E / 39.79528°N 47.11306°E /39.79528; 47.11306 |
| Date | September 27, 2020 (2020-09-27)- November 10, 2020 (2020-11-10) (GMT+4) |
Attack type | Bombardment Shelling Drone strikes Artillery salvos |
| Weapons | |
| Deaths | 5 (as of October 5, 2020) |
| Injured | 10 (as of October 5, 2020) |
| Perpetrator | Azerbaijani Armed Forces |
1,203 buildings damaged in the Martuni Province | |
Thebombardment of Martuni (Armenian:Մարտունի բնակավայրի ռմբակոծություն[1]) was thebombardment of the cities, towns, and villages in theMartuni Province of the self-proclaimedRepublic of Artsakh, which isde jure a part ofAzerbaijan. It was carried out byAzerbaijani Armed Forces during theSecond Nagorno-Karabakh War. The cityMartuni, along with the de facto capitalStepanakert, were badly damaged as a result of shelling.[2] The shelling resulted in the deaths of five civilians. 1,203 buildings were damaged in the province as a result of the bombardment, according to Artsakh Urban Development Ministry.[3] Victoria Gevorgyan, a resident of the Martuni Province of Nagorno-Karabakh, became the first child killed on the first day of the war.[4]
The clashes were part of theNagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed region ofNagorno-Karabakh with an ethnic Armenian majority.[5][6][7][8] The region is ade jure part of Azerbaijan, but is mostly under thede facto control of the self-proclaimedRepublic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia.[9] Ethnic violence began in the late 1980s and exploded into a full war following thedissolution of the USSR in 1991.[10] The war ended with aceasefire in 1994, with the Republic of Artsakh controlling most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as thesurrounding districts ofAghdam,Jabrayil,Fuzuli,Kalbajar,Qubadli,Lachin andZangilan of Azerbaijan.[11]
The shelling of Martuni began on 27 September 2020.[12][13]
On 1 October 2020, the town of Martuni in Nagorno-Karabakh was subjected to artillery fire and bombardment by theAzerbaijani Armed Forces.[14][15] The town was also shelled bymultiple rocket launcherTOS-1, which hit residential buildings.[16]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Nagorno Karabakh. Martuni under Grad Shelling onYouTube |
According to Head of Martuni regional administration of the Republic of Artsakh Edik Avanesyan, as of the beginning of October, 5 residents were killed and 10 residents were wounded in the city of Martuni. Infrastructure was also destroyed. Residents of Martuni were forced to hide in shelters.[17][18][19]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Footage of bombardment in Martuni onYouTube |
Following the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement,Amnesty International visited strike sites in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.[20]
Human Rights Watch and Armenian authorities stated that at least nine medical facilities were damaged in Martuni and other districts of Nagorno-Karabakh during the conflict.[21]
{{cite book}}:|periodical= ignored (help)Artillery fire from Azerbaijan disrupted Martuni's calm on September 27 and 28, killing several locals, including a nine-year-old girl and an elderly woman.
