Artsakh’s Cultural Heritage Ombudsman Hovik Avanesov says the destruction of its historical sites under Azerbaijani control is accelerating despite international concern.
Speaking to Panorama.am on Saturday, Avanesov said satellite monitoring shows a growing number of cases of systematic vandalism targeting cultural, religious and architectural monuments.
According to him, some incidents are openly documented by Azerbaijani state media. He cited the demolition of the former foreign ministry building in Stepanakert on September 2, the date marking Artsakh’s independence, carried out with heavy construction machinery.
Avanesov said methods of destruction are evolving and now include widespread fires. Large-scale blazes that broke out across multiple settlements from late June reached areas containing more than 100 historical monuments, including forest-adjacent cemeteries where headstones and inscriptions were damaged. New fires were reported in the Kashatagh and Karvachar districts in late November.
“This is not accidental. Fires are also used to erase evidence of vandalism,” he said.
Avanesov added that Islamic heritage has also been targeted, pointing to the destruction of the mosque in Aygek village, documented through satellite imagery. He said many demolitions are carried out under the pretext of construction or renovation, echoing practices he says were used in Soviet-era Shushi, where historical stonework was repurposed as building material.
He also raised concerns about reported archaeological excavations at several sites, including the Azokh cave, which Armenian experts warn could distort the historical record.
Avanesov said Azerbaijani officials have openly signaled plans to remove monuments and buildings constructed between the 1980s and 2023, citing alleged seismic or architectural issues, claims he dismissed as unfounded.
“The entire cultural heritage in Artsakh is at risk of complete eradication,” he said, arguing that the losses carry global significance. “By destroying these monuments, Azerbaijan is striking at world civilization.”
He urged international organizations to move beyond issuing statements and adopt mechanisms capable of curbing further damage.
Avanesov also voiced alarm over the fate of Stepanakert’s Memorial Complex, which remains sealed off, and said Azerbaijani social media users repeatedly call for the destruction of the We Are Our Mountains monument, a widely recognized symbol of Artsakh, and for the conversion or demolition of two churches in Stepanakert.
UNESCOԿապույտ վահան Հայաստան / Blue Shield ArmeniaBlue Shield International
