Azerbaijan has destroyed additional Armenian war memorials in occupied Artsakh, according to satellite imagery presented by Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman Hovik Avanesov, who described the destruction as part of a systematic campaign to erase Armenian historical memory.
In Shosh village, Askeran district, two memorials were destroyed between April 19, 2024, and July 12, 2025. One honored World War II veterans; the other commemorated Artsakh War hero Argam Harutyunyan, recipient of the First-Degree Combat Cross.
Similar destruction was documented in Astghashen and Aygestan. In Astghashen, a 2012 memorial to fallen Artsakh soldiers and a World War II monument dating to the 1970s were demolished. In Aygestan, a khachkar honoring Artsakh War fighters and a World War II memorial were destroyed.
In Shushi, Azerbaijan demolished a memorial dedicated to victims of the Armenian Genocide, World War II, and the Artsakh War. The site is being redeveloped with an Azerbaijani museum, mosque, and public square. Busts of Soviet war heroes Nelson Stepanyan and Ivan Tevosyan were also destroyed.
Other reported losses include memorials in Berdzor, Stepanakert, Askeran, and Hadrut, including monuments honoring Armenian military figures Hovhannes Baghramyan, Hovhannes Isakov, and Armenak Khanperyants.
Avanesov cited Article 243.4 of Russia’s Criminal Code, which penalizes the destruction or desecration of World War II memorials, including those abroad.
Calling for independent investigations, continued satellite monitoring, and international accountability, Avanesov warned that the documented cases represent only a fraction of the destruction.
The demolition of Armenian memorials is not simply the loss of individual monuments. It threatens to erase the physical record of generations of Armenian life, sacrifice, and historical presence in Artsakh.
