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.
Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations | Artsakh Reshuffle | Opposition [EP181]
Posted on Tuesday, Dec 6, 2022 | Category: Politics, Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, Russia, Iran, NATO, Ukraine, Economy, Middle East
Guest:
Topics:
- Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations Continue
- CSTO Debacle
- Lavrov Bombshell
- Lachin Corridor Blockaded
- Brussels Summit Canceled
- Artsakh President Lays off Government
- Parliamentary Opposition Fragmenting
Episode 181 | Recorded: December 6, 2022
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022 [EP153]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Iran, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade | Series: cog
Talking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
- Growing up Armenian in Azerbaijan
- Experiencing Armenia as an Armenian from Azerbaijan
- Advocating for Armenian Families and Children
- Thoughts on the condition of Artsakh, and Armenia
- The projects in progress at Astvatsaturian.org, Annaâs 501c3 charity organization.
Guest:
- Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American author, city counselor, human rights advocate, and also a refugee from her original city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which her family fled, as violence mounted against Armenians.
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022 [EP153]
Posted on Thursday, Aug 11, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Iran, Russia, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh BlockadeTalking with Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte | Ep 153 - August 11, 2022
- Growing up Armenian in Azerbaijan
- Experiencing Armenia as an Armenian from Azerbaijan
- Advocating for Armenian Families and Children
- Thoughts on the condition of Artsakh, and Armenia
- The projects in progress at Astvatsaturian.org, Annaâs 501c3 charity organization.
Guest:
- Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an Armenian-American author, city counselor, human rights advocate, and also a refugee from her original city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which her family fled, as violence mounted against Armenians.
Armenian News: Yerevan Protests Grow | Artsakh Negotiations | New MPG Poll | Ep #141 - Jun 5, 2022 [EP141]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union | Series: wir
Guest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:52 Yerevan Protests Continue
- 24:30 State of Negotiations on Artsakh
- 42:27 MPG Gallup Poll Results
- 44:14 Rants
Guests:
Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Host:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022
Armenian News: Yerevan Protests Grow | Artsakh Negotiations | New MPG Poll | Ep #141 - Jun 5, 2022 [EP141]
Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2022 | Category: Artsakh, Armenia, Politics, Poll, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European UnionGuest(s):
Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 5, 2022
Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 02:52 Yerevan Protests Continue
- 24:30 State of Negotiations on Artsakh
- 42:27 MPG Gallup Poll Results
- 44:14 Rants
Guests:
Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos
Host:
Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq Episode 141 | Recorded: Monday, June 6, 2022
Turkish Armenian Normalization - Conversation with Harut Sassounian | Ep #111 - Jan 9, 2022 [EP111]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Armenian Church, Georgia, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, NATO | Series: cog
Turkish-Armenian Normalization Negotiations A Conversation with Harut Sassounian
- Harut Sassounian has been the publisher of The California Courier newspaper since 1983. He is also the President of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization which has delivered to Armenia and Artsakh $947 million of humanitarian assistance since 1989. He is currently engaged in forming the Diaspora Armenian Parliament through local elections.
Topics:
- History of Turkish-Armenian Attempts at Negotiations
- Who are The Players?
- Why Now? What’s on the Agenda?
- What are the Pitfalls and Opportunities?
Turkish Armenian Normalization - Conversation with Harut Sassounian | Ep #111 - Jan 9, 2022 [EP111]
Posted on Sunday, Jan 9, 2022 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Genocide, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Economy, Armenian Genocide, Human Rights, Armenian Church, Georgia, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, European Union, NATOTurkish-Armenian Normalization Negotiations A Conversation with Harut Sassounian
- Harut Sassounian has been the publisher of The California Courier newspaper since 1983. He is also the President of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization which has delivered to Armenia and Artsakh $947 million of humanitarian assistance since 1989. He is currently engaged in forming the Diaspora Armenian Parliament through local elections.
Topics:
- History of Turkish-Armenian Attempts at Negotiations
- Who are The Players?
- Why Now? What’s on the Agenda?
- What are the Pitfalls and Opportunities?
Thirty Years After the USSR | Ep #109 - Dec 26, 2021 [EP109]
Posted on Sunday, Dec 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, USSR, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, European Union | Series: cog
Thirty Years After the USSR
- Dr. Pietro Shakarian is a Lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. His research focuses on the history of Eastern Armenia and the Caucasus, especially Soviet Armenia during the era of Nikita Khrushchevâs Thaw. His analyses on Russia and the former Soviet region have appeared in The Nation, The Plain Dealer, the Russian International Affairs Council, Hetq, and more.
Topics:
- How did the USSR Dissolve, who were the personalities behind it?
- Did Ethnic Nationalism Have a Hand in it?
- Did Ronald Reagan Defeat the Soviet Union?
- What are the
Thirty Years After the USSR | Ep #109 - Dec 26, 2021 [EP109]
Posted on Sunday, Dec 26, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, USSR, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Economy, Artsakh, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh Blockade, NATO, European UnionThirty Years After the USSR
- Dr. Pietro Shakarian is a Lecturer in history at the American University of Armenia in Yerevan. His research focuses on the history of Eastern Armenia and the Caucasus, especially Soviet Armenia during the era of Nikita Khrushchevâs Thaw. His analyses on Russia and the former Soviet region have appeared in The Nation, The Plain Dealer, the Russian International Affairs Council, Hetq, and more.
Topics:
- How did the USSR Dissolve, who were the personalities behind it?
- Did Ethnic Nationalism Have a Hand in it?
- Did Ronald Reagan Defeat the Soviet Union?
- What are the