Bombardment of Martuni
Part of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
Russian peacekeeper in the damaged city of Martuni
Location	Martuni, Nagorno-Karabakh
Coordinates	39°47′43″N 47°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	BM-21 Grad TOS-1
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

The bombardment of Martuni (Armenian: Մարտունի բնակավայրի ռմբակոծություն^[1]) was the bombardment of the cities, towns, and villages in the Martuni Province of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is de jure a part of Azerbaijan. It was carried out by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The city Martuni, along with the de facto capital Stepanakert, 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 very first day of the war.^[4]

Background

The clashes were part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with an ethnic Armenian majority.^[5][6][7][8] The region is a de jure part of Azerbaijan, but is mostly under the de facto control of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia.^[9] Ethnic violence began in the late 1980s and exploded into a full war following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.^[10] The war ended with a ceasefire in 1994, with the Republic of Artsakh controlling most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as the surrounding districts of Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan of Azerbaijan.^[11]

Timeline

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 the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.^[14][15] The town was also shelled by multiple rocket launcher TOS-1, which hit residential buildings.^[16]

External videos
Nagorno Karabakh. Martuni under Grad Shelling on YouTube

Casualties

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][20]}

Reactions

Amnesty International

External videos
Footage of bombardment in Martuni on YouTube

Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, Amnesty International visited strike sites in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh.^[21]

Human Rights Watch

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.^[22]