Azerbaijan has destroyed monuments and graves in the village of Khnatsakh in Artsakh, honoring the victims of different wars.

In 2025, Azerbaijan resettled the village of Khnatsakh, publishing photographs confirming this, according to Monument Watch.

As early as July 2025, the Azerbaijani side destroyed monuments in the village dedicated to the victims of the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh wars, as well as the graves of village defenders from the First Artsakh War, located in the same area. It was recorded that not only was the monument removed, but large-scale earthworks were carried out, which became clearly visible when compared with satellite images from 2023. At the site of the destroyed monument, a sign bearing the Azerbaijani name created for the village was installed.

It is noted that the destruction of monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh liberation struggle contradicts Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Second Protocol adopted in 1999. It was also stated that the binding decisions of the International Court of Justice dated December 7, 2021, were violated, under which Azerbaijan is obliged to take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration against Armenian cultural heritage, including churches, places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries, and artifacts.

The destruction of the monument contradicts Rules 38, 39, 40, and 41 of international humanitarian law.

The International Court of Justice has confirmed that norms for the protection of cultural property have the status of customary international law and are binding on all states. UNESCO’s 2003 Declaration concerning the Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage prohibits the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage.