More than half of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh – 68 386 forcibly displaced people as of September 28 midday – have arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, a government spokesperson reports.

The first several hundred refugees from war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh crossed into Armenian territory on September 24, as a forced evacuation that could lead to a mass exodus of Armenians from their historic homeland is underway.

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. So far, 66,500 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.