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.
Aram Orbelyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 11 [EP190]
Posted on Friday, Dec 23, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Armenian Genocide, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, European Union, Genocide, NATO, Ukraine
“Current Armenian government blames everyone, but themselves, Azerbaijan and Turkey.” -Aram Orbelyan
Guest:
- Aram Orbelyan , an international law specialist, who is an attorney and managing partner at Concern Dialog law firm, and PhD in Public international law. Mr. Orbelyan lectures at the Academy of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, and lectured public international law at French University of Armenia. Mr. Orbelyan was Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia between 2011 and 2014.
Topic:
This is Day 11 of the complete blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. More than 120 thousand
Read MoreHayk Mamijanyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 10 [EP189]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, European Union | Series: cog, video
“Armenia has to draw a red line - Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan” -Hayk Mamijanyan
Guest:
- Hayk Mamijanyan is the leader of the oppositional Pativ Unem (With Honor) alliance in the Armenian National Assembly, and a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.
Links:
- 168 Hours: https://168.am
Hayk Mamijanyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 10 [EP189]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, European Union“Armenia has to draw a red line - Artsakh can never be part of Azerbaijan” -Hayk Mamijanyan
Guest:
- Hayk Mamijanyan is the leader of the oppositional Pativ Unem (With Honor) alliance in the Armenian National Assembly, and a member of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA).
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more English-language coverage on the developments of this very serious humanitarian crisis in progress.
Links:
- 168 Hours: https://168.am
Tevan Poghosyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 9 [EP188]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Human Rights | Series: cog, video
âPashinyan, why don’t you go and shake Artak Beglaryanâs hand, like you did in Shushi in 2019â - Tevan Poghosyan
Guest:
- Tevan Poghosyan , is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more
Read MoreTevan Poghosyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 9 [EP188]
Posted on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, China, Human RightsâPashinyan, why don’t you go and shake Artak Beglaryanâs hand, like you did in Shushi in 2019â - Tevan Poghosyan
Guest:
- Tevan Poghosyan , is president of the International Center for Human Development in Yerevan. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP in the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. From 1997 to 1999 he served as the Nagorno-Karabakh Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. This interview is a continuation of the collaboration between Groong and 168 Hours aiming to bring you more
Read MoreArman Tatoyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 9 [EP187]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Genocide | Series: cog, video
“This is the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Artsakhâ -Arman Tatoyan
Guest:
- Arman Tatoyan , is the former ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia. Currently actively pursues human rights for Armenians in the republics of Armenia and Artsakh, especially through his foundation, the âTatoyanâ Center for Law and Justice.
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
As we are recording this discussion, more than 120 thousand people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). For 9 days, Azerbaijan has brazenly blocked
Read MoreArman Tatoyan: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 9 [EP187]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Human Rights, Genocide“This is the policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the people of Artsakhâ -Arman Tatoyan
Guest:
- Arman Tatoyan , is the former ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia. Currently actively pursues human rights for Armenians in the republics of Armenia and Artsakh, especially through his foundation, the âTatoyanâ Center for Law and Justice.
Topic:
This is Day 9 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan.
As we are recording this discussion, more than 120 thousand people remain trapped in the Republic of Artsakh (or Nagorno-Karabakh). For 9 days, Azerbaijan has brazenly blocked
Read MoreHrant Mikaelian: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 8 [EP186]
Posted on Monday, Dec 19, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Human Rights, Georgia, European Union, Geopolitics, Israel | Series: cog, video
Guest:
- Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.
“The full state-led attack against Artsakh and Armenia, which no-one in Europe condemned, was a case where the military solution worked. From 2020 onwards, many actors in the world see that you can attack and get away with it.”
Topic:
This is Day 8 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. 120 thousand people are effectively being held hostage by the regime in Baku.
Groong and 168 Hours are continuing our
Read MoreHrant Mikaelian: Artsakh Under Blockade: Day 8 [EP186]
Posted on Monday, Dec 19, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Politics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Artsakh Blockade, Nagorno Karabakh, Iran, Ukraine, Human Rights, Georgia, European Union, Geopolitics, IsraelGuest:
- Hrant Mikaelian , a political scientist and multidisciplinary researcher in social sciences based in Yerevan. He is also a senior researcher at the Caucasus Institute.
“The full state-led attack against Artsakh and Armenia, which no-one in Europe condemned, was a case where the military solution worked. From 2020 onwards, many actors in the world see that you can attack and get away with it.”
Topic:
This is Day 8 of the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. 120 thousand people are effectively being held hostage by the regime in Baku.
Groong and 168 Hours are continuing our
Read More