List of conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The following is a list of armed conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including their modern predecessor states.

Conflict	Start	Finish	Azerbaijan (and allies)	Armenia (and allies)	Results	Notes
Armenian-Tatar War (1905-1907)	1905	1906	Caucasian Tatar groups [1]	Armenian groups ARF members Russian Empire	Russian victory	3000 to at least 10000 killed
Armenian–Azerbaijani War	1918	1920	Azerbaijan Ottoman Empire Republic of Aras (1918–1919)	Armenia Russian SFSR Azerbaijani communists Armenian communists Turkish revolutionaries (1920)	Inconclusive	Inconclusive Soviet invasion of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and subsequent victory Sovietization of Armenia and Azerbaijan Disputes over Karabakh and Nakhchivan settled in favor of Soviet Azerbaijan Most of Zangezur gained by Soviet Armenia
First Nagorno-Karabakh War	1988	1994	Azerbaijan (from 1991) Soviet Union (until 1991) [a] Azerbaijan SSR Foreign groups: Hezbe Wahdat [6] Hezb-e-Islami [7] Grey Wolves [8] Chechen volunteers [9] UNA-UNSO [10] [11] [12] Slavic mercenaries [13] Turkish volunteers [14] [15]	Nagorno-Karabakh [b] Armenia [c] Armenian Revolutionary Federation Foreign groups: Kuban Cossacks [16] Ossetian volunteers [17] Slavic mercenaries [13]	Armenian victory [18]	Armenian victory [19] De facto independence of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and de facto unification with Armenia [20] [21] [22] Armenian occupation of territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
2008 Mardakert clashes	2008	2008	Azerbaijan	Artsakh	Both sides claim victory	Both sides claim victory Azerbaijan removes its troops
2010 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes	2010	2010	Azerbaijan	Armenia	Azerbaijan victory
2010 Mardakert clashes	2010	2010	Azerbaijan	Nagorno-Karabakh [23] Armenia	Inconclusive
2012 Armenian–Azerbaijani border clashes	2012	2012	Azerbaijan	Armenia Nagorno-Karabakh	Inconclusive
2014 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes	2014	2014	Azerbaijan	Armenia Artsakh	Status quo ante bellum
April War	2016	2016	Azerbaijan	Artsakh Armenia	Inconclusive (see aftermath)	Inconclusive (see aftermath) Azerbaijan claims victory [24] [25] Armenia claims to have successfully repelled the Azerbaijani offensive [26] [27] The line of contact shifted for the first time since 1994 [28] Azerbaijan captures a territory from 800 hectares (8.0 km2) to 2,000 hectares (20 km2), including 2 heights
Gyunnyut clashes	2018	2018	Azerbaijan	Armenia	Inconclusive See Aftermath section	Inconclusive See Aftermath section Azerbaijan gains between 10 and 15 km2 of land. [29]
July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes	2020	2020	Azerbaijan	Armenia	Both sides claim victory [30] [31]	Both sides claim victory [32] [33] 2020 Azerbaijani protests No territorial changes
Second Nagorno-Karabakh War	2020	2020	Azerbaijan Turkey (alleged by Armenia) [34] [35] [36] Syrian mercenaries [d] [40] [41]	Artsakh Armenia	Azerbaijani victory [42] [43]	Azerbaijani victory [44] [45] Azerbaijan gains control of 72% of Republic of Artsakh territory
Armenia–Azerbaijan border crisis (2021–present)	2021	Ongoing	Azerbaijan	Armenia	Ongoing	Ongoing Azerbaijan occupies parts of the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces adjacent to the Armenia–Azerbaijan border: 215 square kilometers (83 square miles) of Armenian territory
September 2022 Armenia–Azerbaijan clashes	2022	2022	Azerbaijan	Armenia	Ceasefire [46]	Ceasefire [47] Displacement of 7600 Armenian civilians [48] Occupation of Armenian territory Per Armenia: Azerbaijan occupied 140 km2 of Armenian territory, [49] advanced 7.5 km deep into Armenian territory towards Jermuk [50] [51] Per Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan captures strategic heights along the border
2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh	2023	2023	Azerbaijan [e]	Artsakh [f]	Azerbaijani victory [52]	Azerbaijani victory [53] Azerbaijan regains control of Nagorno-Karabakh

See also

• Anti-Armenian sentiment in Azerbaijan
• Anti-Azerbaijani sentiment in Armenia
• Armenia–Azerbaijan relations

Notes

1. Soviet authorities generally sided with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. ^[2] Soviet troops were present in Nagorno-Karabakh for 2+1⁄2 years and supported Azerbaijani militias. ^[3] Soviet troops directly intervened during Operation Ring in April–May 1991 on the Azerbaijani side. ^{[4] [5]}
2. Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) until 1991.
3. Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (Soviet Armenia) until 1990 (renamed Republic of Armenia)/1991 (declared independence).
4. Denied by Azerbaijan ^{[37] [38]} and Turkey. ^[39]
5. See § Foreign involvement for more details.
6. See § Foreign involvement for more details.

References

1. BUTCHERY IN THE CAUCASUS.; A State of Civil War -- 30,000 Combatants of Various Races Archived 30 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times
2. Panossian 2002, p.  145 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFPanossian2002 (help): "Until the dissolution of the USSR, the Soviet authorities sided, in general, with Azerbaijan. ... Soviet troops sent to the conflict area ... on numerous occasions, took the side of the Azerbaijani forces to 'punish' the Armenians for raising the NK issue."
3. Shogren, Elizabeth (21 September 1990). "Armenians Wage Hunger Strike in Regional Dispute: Soviet Union: Five threaten to starve themselves to death unless Moscow ends military rule in Azerbaijan enclave". Los Angeles Times . Soviet troops have been in Nagorno-Karabakh for 2+1⁄2 years ... The troops support armed Azerbaijani militias who have imposed a blockade of the region ...
4. Cornell 1999, p. 26: "Sporadic clashes became frequent by the first months of 1991, with an ever-increasing organization of paramilitary forces on the Armenian side, whereas Azerbaijan still relied on the support of Moscow. ... In response to this development, a joint Soviet and Azerbaijani military and police operation directed from Moscow was initiated in these areas during the Spring and Summer of 1991.". sfn error: no target: CITEREFCornell1999 (help)
5. Papazian 2008, p. 25: "units of the 4th army stationed in Azerbaijan and Azeri OMONs were used in 'Operation Ring', to empty a number of Armenian villages in Nagorno-Karabakh in April 1991.". sfn error: no target: CITEREFPapazian2008 (help)
6. "AFGHAN FIGHTERS AIDING AZERBAIJAN IN CIVIL WAR". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 21 January 2022.
7. Taarnby 2008, p. 6. sfn error: no target: CITEREFTaarnby2008 (help)
8. Brzezinski & Sullivan 1997, p. 616: "It is also revealed that a new force of 200 armed members of the Grey Wolves organization has been dispatched from Turkey in preparation for a new Azeri offensive and to train units of the Azeri army." sfn error: no target: CITEREFBrzezinskiSullivan1997 (help)
9. Griffin, Nicholas (2004). Caucasus: A Journey to the Land Between Christianity and Islam. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp.  185–186. ISBN   0-226-30859-6.
10. "Украинские националисты УНАО-УНСО признали, что воевали на стороне Азербайджана в Карабахе". panorama.am (in Russian). 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017.
11. ""В случае войны мы окажем баку посильную помощь"". euraspravda.ru (in Russian). 5 March 2014.
12. ""В случае войны мы окажем Баку посильную помощь"". Minval.az (in Russian).
13. Azerbaijan: Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 1994. ISBN   1-56432-142-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2020. p. xiii "Slavic mercenaries also take part in the fighting. The Slavs on both sides ..."; p. 106 "Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian mercenaries or rogue units of the Soviet/Russian Army have fought on both sides."
14. "Турецкие националисты намерены участвовать в новой карабахской войне" [Turkish nationalists intend to participate in a new Karabakh war]. REGNUM (in Russian). 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
15. Demoyan 2006, p. 226: "Turkey continued to provide military as well as economic aid to Azerbaijan. As further proof, the Turkish army and intelligence services launched undercover operations to supply Azerbaijan with arms and military personnel. According to Turkish sources, over 350 high-ranking officers and thousands of volunteers from Turkey participated in the warfare on the Azerbaijani side.". sfn error: no target: CITEREFDemoyan2006 (help)
16. "В карабахском селе открылся памятник погибшим в войне кубанским казакам [A monument to the Kuban Cossacks who died in the war was opened in the Karabakh village]" (in Russian). REGNUM News Agency. 30 May 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020.
17. According to Leonid Tibilov, President of South Ossetia in 2012-17. "Леонид Тибилов поздравил Бако Саакяна с 25-й годовщиной образования Нагорно-Карабахской Республики [Leonid Tibilov congratulated Bako Sahakyan on the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic]". presidentruo.org (in Russian). President of the Republic of South Ossetia. 2 September 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. В борьбе за свободу и независимость на помощь народу Арцаха пришли и волонтеры из Южной Осетии. Они скрепили нашу дружбу своей праведной кровью, пролитой на вашей благословенной земле. Мы высоко ценим, что вами увековечены их имена в памятниках, названиях улиц и учебных заведений ряда населенных пунктов Вашей республики.
18. "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Armenia". Refworld. Minority Rights Group International. 2007. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. The war ended at Ceasefire Agreement in 1994, with the Armenians of Karabakh (supported by Armenia) taking control not only of Nagorny Karabakh itself but also occupying in whole or in part seven regions of Azerbaijan surrounding the former NKAO.
19. "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Armenia". Refworld. Minority Rights Group International. 2007. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. The war ended at Ceasefire Agreement in 1994, with the Armenians of Karabakh (supported by Armenia) taking control not only of Nagorny Karabakh itself but also occupying in whole or in part seven regions of Azerbaijan surrounding the former NKAO.
20. Trenin 2011, p. 67: "Armenia is de facto united with Nagorno-Karabakh, an unrecognized state, in a single entity.". sfn error: no target: CITEREFTrenin2011 (help)
21. Mulcaire, Jack (9 April 2015). "Face Off: The Coming War between Armenia and Azerbaijan". The National Interest . Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016. The mostly Armenian population of the disputed region now lives under the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a micronation that is supported by Armenia and is effectively part of that country.
22. Cornell 2011, p. 135: "Following the war, the territories that fell under Armenian control, in particular Mountainous Karabakh itself, were slowly integrated into Armenia.". sfn error: no target: CITEREFCornell2011 (help)
23. "Armenian, Azerbaijani Clashes Continue In Karabakh." RFE/RL . June 22, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
24. "The Nagorny Karabakh Conflict: Defaulting to War". chathamhouse.org. Chatham House. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2019. Azerbaijan presents its operations of 2–5 April 2016 as a tactical victory and psychological breakthrough.
25. Jardine, Bradley (2 April 2018). "Armenians and Azerbaijanis commemorate two years since breakout of "April War"". EurasiaNet. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020. President Ilham Aliyev, for his part, posted an image on Instagram of himself wearing military fatigues with the caption, "The April War was our glorious historical victory."
26. "President Serzh Sargsyan invited a meeting of the National Security Council". president.am. Office to the President of Armenia. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020. ....It was noted that during the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan, the RA Armed Forces fulfilled their task. The NKR Defence Army was victorious in thwarting Azerbaijani aggression and frustrating its plans.
27. Aslanian, Karlen; Movsisian, Hovannes (5 April 2016). "Azeri Offensive In Karabakh Failed, Says Sarkisian". azatutyun.am. RFE/RL. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
28. Simão, Licínia (June 2016), The Nagorno-Karabakh redux (PDF), European Union Institute for Security Studies, p. 2, doi:10.2815/58373, ISBN   9789291984022, ISSN   2315-1129, archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2018, retrieved 31 March 2018, For the first time since the 1990s, Azerbaijani forces managed to regain control of small parts of the territory surrounding Karabakh – the first time the Line of Contact has shifted. Although these changes do not significantly alter the parties' military predicament on the ground...
29. "Azerbaijan makes a move in Nakhichevan amid change of guard in Armenia". www.civilnet.am (in Armenian). 31 May 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
30. "The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia presented the position of Armenia regarding the recent escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process". primeminister.am. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. 23 July 2020. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020. There is no doubt that we have passed this test with victory ... we strengthened our positions after the victorious battles in July ...
31. "Opening speech by Ilham Aliyev at the Cabinet meeting on results of socio-economic development in first quarter of 2020 and future tasks". president.az. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. This operation, the military confrontation of recent days, is yet another glorious victory for us.
32. "The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia presented the position of Armenia regarding the recent escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process". primeminister.am. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. 23 July 2020. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020. There is no doubt that we have passed this test with victory ... we strengthened our positions after the victorious battles in July ...
33. "Opening speech by Ilham Aliyev at the Cabinet meeting on results of socio-economic development in first quarter of 2020 and future tasks". president.az. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. This operation, the military confrontation of recent days, is yet another glorious victory for us.
34. "Принуждение к конфликту" [Coercion to conflict]. Kommersant (in Russian). 16 October 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
35. Kramer, Andrew E. (29 January 2021). "Armenia and Azerbaijan: What Sparked War and Will Peace Prevail?". The New York Times . Retrieved 4 March 2021. Armenia has said that Turkey was directly involved in the fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, and that a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down an Armenian jet. Turkey denied those accusations.
36. Tsvetkova, Maria; Auyezov, Olzhas (9 November 2020). "Analysis: Russia and Turkey keep powder dry in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". Reuters . Retrieved 4 March 2021. Turkey's support for Azerbaijan has been vital, and Azerbaijan's superior weaponry and battlefield advances have reduced its incentive to reach a lasting peace deal. Ankara denies its troops are involved in fighting but Aliyev has acknowledged some Turkish F-16 fighter jets remained in Azerbaijan after a military drill this summer, and there are reports of Russian and Turkish drones being used by both sides.
37. "Azerbaijan denies Turkey sent it fighters from Syria". 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
38. "Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of rocket attack". The Guardian. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
39. "Türkiye'nin Dağlık Karabağ'a paralı asker gönderdiği iddiası" (in Turkish). Deutsche Welle. 29 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
40. Ed Butler (10 December 2020). "The Syrian mercenaries used as 'cannon fodder' in Nagorno-Karabakh". BBC . Retrieved 23 July 2024. Although Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey deny the use of mercenaries, researchers have amassed a considerable amount of photographic evidence, drawn from videos and photographs the fighters have posted online, which tells a different story.
41. Cookman, Liz (5 October 2020). "Syrians Make Up Turkey's Proxy Army in Nagorno-Karabakh". Foreign Policy . Retrieved 23 July 2024. According to sources within the Syrian National Army (SNA), the umbrella term for a group of opposition militias backed by Turkey, around 1,500 Syrians have so far been deployed to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the southern Caucasus ... Shortly after conflict erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey sought to mobilize the SNA, sometimes called Turkey's proxy army ... The first fighters were transferred in late September to southern Turkey and then flown from Gaziantep to Ankara, before being transferred to Azerbaijan on Sept. 25.
42. "'One nation, two states' on display as Erdogan visits Azerbaijan for Karabakh victory parade". France24. 10 December 2020. Azerbaijan's historic win was an important geopolitical coup for Erdogan who has cemented Turkey's leading role as a powerbroker in the ex-Soviet Caucasus region.
43. "Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia sign Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal". BBC. 10 November 2020. The BBC's Orla Guerin in Baku says that, overall, the deal should be read as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.
44. "'One nation, two states' on display as Erdogan visits Azerbaijan for Karabakh victory parade". France24. 10 December 2020. Azerbaijan's historic win was an important geopolitical coup for Erdogan who has cemented Turkey's leading role as a powerbroker in the ex-Soviet Caucasus region.
45. "Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia sign Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal". BBC. 10 November 2020. The BBC's Orla Guerin in Baku says that, overall, the deal should be read as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.
46. Demourian, Avet (15 September 2022). "Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on cease-fire to end fighting". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
47. Demourian, Avet (15 September 2022). "Armenia, Azerbaijan agree on cease-fire to end fighting". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
48. "Armenia and Azerbaijan: Between war and peace | Think Tank | European Parliament". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 8 June 2023. ...September 2022 saw the worst hostilities since 2020, with nearly 300 soldiers (an estimated 200 Armenians and 80 Azerbaijanis) killed in an Azerbaijani incursion into Armenian territory – allowing Azerbaijani troops to take control of new positions deep inside Armenia – and at least 7 600 civilians displaced from the Armenian provinces.
49. "Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan's remarks at the 29th OSCE Ministerial Council". mfa.am. 1 December 2022. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. On September 13–14, this year Azerbaijan unleashed unprovoked aggression occupying around 140 square km of the sovereign territory of Armenia.
50. "Armenia Asks Russia to Help as 105 Killed in Azerbaijan Fighting". Bloomberg. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
51. "Azerbaijani forces deployed 4.5 km away from Jermuk, says Armenian army chief". www.panorama.am. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
52. "Azerbaijan Says Aims For 'Peaceful Reintegration' Of Karabakh Armenians". Barron's. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023. The offensive was seen as a major victory for Azerbaijan, which won a 2020 war with Armenia and has since sought to repopulate Karabakh.
53. "Azerbaijan Says Aims For 'Peaceful Reintegration' Of Karabakh Armenians". Barron's. 20 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023. The offensive was seen as a major victory for Azerbaijan, which won a 2020 war with Armenia and has since sought to repopulate Karabakh.