DAILY STAR
The inside of a ghost city abandoned by 100,000 people just two weeks ago has been revealed.
Stepankert in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, was once a thriving place, but after Azerbaijan attempted to take control of it last month, it left the population fleeing in fear. Developments unfolded with surprising speed after Azerbaijan waged a lightning military campaign in Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian region that has run its affairs for three decades without international recognition.
Starved of supplies by an Azerbaijani blockade and outnumbered by a military bolstered by Turkey, the separatist forces capitulated in 24 hours and their political leaders said they would dissolve their government by the end of the year.
That triggered a massive exodus by the ethnic Armenians who feared living under Azerbaijani rule. Over 80% of the region’s 120,000 residents hastily packed their belongings and trudged in a gruelling and slow journey over the single mountain road into impoverished Armenia, which is struggling to accommodate them.
And now new video from the region, shared on Russian Telegram channels shows the extent of what happened within just a few hours. The main square in the city was filmed with abandoned cars, furniture, and other personal items everywhere, as locals fled without warning.
Prams and walkers for the elderly can also be spotted, with items seen smashed all over the floor as the panic caused thousands to flee in a chaotic fashion. The situation in the area has become so alarming, that the UK’s Deputy Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Deirdre Brown, has said that it “risks efforts to find a lasting peace settlement”.
She said: “ Like many others, the UK urged Azerbaijan to cease its use of force, refrain from further escalatory action, and return to dialogue. While the UK fully recognises Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, military might cannot be used to resolve tensions between communities. We are concerned about the humanitarian situation, due to the limited access international aid organisations have into Nagorno-Karabakh, and the significant refugee flows from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia.
“We urge both Armenia and Azerbaijan to restore substantive negotiations on a settlement to the wider remaining tensions in the region as soon as possible.
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