Artsakh Blockade

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The Artsakh blockade began in December 2022 when Azerbaijani activists, later joined by military personnel, established a checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor , the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia. Over the following nine months, the blockade progressively tightened, cutting off gas, electricity, food deliveries, and medical evacuations. By the summer of 2023, the population of Artsakh was facing acute food shortages and a humanitarian emergency.

The blockade drew condemnation from Western governments and was the subject of proceedings at the International Court of Justice, which issued provisional measures ordering Azerbaijan to ensure free movement through the corridor. Those measures were not enforced. Russia’s peacekeeping contingent, which held a mandate to guarantee passage under the 2020 ceasefire, took no action to reopen the road. The United States and European Union issued statements but applied no meaningful pressure.

Azerbaijan’s military offensive on September 19, 2023 ended the blockade by ending the existence of Armenian Nagorno Karabakh entirely. Within three weeks, nearly the entire population of 150,000 Armenians had been driven from Artsakh to Armenia — what human rights organizations and international observers have characterized as ethnic cleansing. Groong covered the blockade in real time throughout its duration — the humanitarian conditions inside Artsakh, the diplomatic failures, and the eventual collapse.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Artsakh Blockade.

Anna Karapetyan - Armenian Azerbaijani Talks | Is Armenia Rearming? | Pashinyan and the Constitution | Ep 305 - Jan 28, 2024 [EP305]

Posted on Monday, Jan 29, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO, Israel, Genocide | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenia Azerbaijan Negotiations
  • Is Armenia Rearming itself?
  • Pashinyan and the Constitution

Episode 305 | Recorded: January 29, 2024

Anna Karapetyan - Armenian Azerbaijani Talks | Is Armenia Rearming? | Pashinyan and the Constitution | Ep 305 - Jan 28, 2024 [EP305]

Posted on Monday, Jan 29, 2024 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Georgia, India, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO, Israel, Genocide

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenia Azerbaijan Negotiations
  • Is Armenia Rearming itself?
  • Pashinyan and the Constitution

Episode 305 | Recorded: January 29, 2024

Benyamin Poghosyan - Status of Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations | Armenian Diplomacy in the West | Relations with Russia | Ep 296, Dec 3, 2023 [EP296]

Posted on Monday, Dec 4, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, USA, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Georgia, NATO, China, Israel, Ukraine, Geopolitics, Genocide, India, Middle East, Economy | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenian-Azerbaijani Negotiations
  • Armenian Diplomacy in the West
  • Relations with Russia

Episode 296 | Recorded: December 3, 2023

Benyamin Poghosyan - Status of Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations | Armenian Diplomacy in the West | Relations with Russia | Ep 296, Dec 3, 2023 [EP296]

Posted on Monday, Dec 4, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, USA, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Georgia, NATO, China, Israel, Ukraine, Geopolitics, Genocide, India, Middle East, Economy

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenian-Azerbaijani Negotiations
  • Armenian Diplomacy in the West
  • Relations with Russia

Episode 296 | Recorded: December 3, 2023

Hrant Mikaelian - Armenian Foreign Policy Vectors | MPG Poll Results | Economy and 2024 Budget | Ep 295 - Nov 12, 2023 [EP295]

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Economy, Israel, Ukraine, Georgia, China, India, NATO | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenian Foreign Policy Vectors
  • Latest MPG Poll Result Analysis
  • Armenian Economy and 2024 Budget

Episode 295 | Recorded: Nov 15, 2023

Hrant Mikaelian - Armenian Foreign Policy Vectors | MPG Poll Results | Economy and 2024 Budget | Ep 295 - Nov 12, 2023 [EP295]

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 15, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Poll, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Genocide, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Economy, Israel, Ukraine, Georgia, China, India, NATO

Guest:

Topics:

  • Armenian Foreign Policy Vectors
  • Latest MPG Poll Result Analysis
  • Armenian Economy and 2024 Budget

Episode 295 | Recorded: Nov 15, 2023

Yeghia Tashjian - Aftermath of the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh | Israeli-Palestinian Crisis & Ripples | Ep. 288 - Oct 22, 2023 [EP288]

Posted on Sunday, Oct 22, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Israel, Middle East, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, India, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Lebanon, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine, Genocide, European Union | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • Aftermath of the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh
    • Shahramanyan meets Protesters
    • “Rights & Security”
    • Government-in-Exile
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    • Ripple Effects to the South Caucasus
    • Effects in the Middle East
    • Lebanon & the Armenian Community

Episode 288 | Recorded: October 22, 2023

Yeghia Tashjian - Aftermath of the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh | Israeli-Palestinian Crisis & Ripples | Ep. 288 - Oct 22, 2023 [EP288]

Posted on Sunday, Oct 22, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Israel, Middle East, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, India, Artsakh Blockade, Armenian Genocide, Lebanon, Georgia, Syria, Ukraine, Genocide, European Union

Guest:

Topics:

  • Aftermath of the Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh
    • Shahramanyan meets Protesters
    • “Rights & Security”
    • Government-in-Exile
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    • Ripple Effects to the South Caucasus
    • Effects in the Middle East
    • Lebanon & the Armenian Community

Episode 288 | Recorded: October 22, 2023

Benyamin Poghosyan - At the Brink of a New War? | Armenia Russia Relations | Platform Shuffle: Brussels vs Moscow | Yerevan Mayor | Ep 286, Oct 15, 2023 [EP286]

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 17, 2023 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Iran, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, NATO, Ukraine | Series: wir

Guest:

Topics:

  • At the Brink of a New War?
  • Relations with Russia
  • Platform Shuffle: Brussels vs. Moscow
  • Update on Yerevan Mayor

Episode 286 | Recorded: October 17, 2023