32 years of war: why fighting is happening again in Nagorno-Karabakh

They exchange artillery shelling, post videos of fighting and explosions, and accuse each other of war crimes. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting for Nagorno-Karabakh for 13 days.

Their conflict is increasingly reminiscent of the first Karabakh war in 1992-1994. However, Baku and Yerevan now have more weapons, and regional heavyweights, Turkey and Russia, have been drawn into the conflict. We explain what is happening in the Caucasus, and what to expect next.

What happened and why did the war begin?

In the South Caucasus, they have been firing continuously since September 27. Fighting began in five directions in the morning. President of the "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (see below) Arayik Harutyunyan accused Azerbaijanis of shelling and airstrikes. "It's a counterattack in response to provocations," they said in Baku and launched an offensive (the exact initiator of the first shot remains unknown).

At the start of the war, drones became a "miracle weapon" of Azerbaijan. Turkish Bayraktar drones (the Ukrainian army also has these vehicles in their arsenal) used their bombs and missiles to destroy Armenian armored vehicles, fortifications, and entire groups of infantry. Other drones "illuminated" targets for cannons and missiles (and also filmed videos from the battlefield. It's one of the features of the new war).

Ground battles are larger than the Syrian war: Azerbaijanis and Armenians attacked with tanks and armored vehicles, fired large-caliber guns, and used "Grad" and "Smerch" facilities. In Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, they announced a general mobilization, and Azerbaijan limited itself to a partial one.