Nagorno Karabakh

Last updated: May 29, 2026

The Nagorno Karabakh conflict — also known as the Artsakh conflict, and in official Azerbaijani and international usage as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — has been the central subject of Groong’s coverage since the podcast launched. With more than 450 episodes addressing the dispute in whole or in part, this archive represents one of the most comprehensive English-language audio records of the conflict’s recent history.

At its core, the conflict was not simply a territorial dispute between two states. The Armenian population of Artsakh — the Republic of Artsakh — was asserting its right to self-determination, a principle recognized in international law and enshrined in the UN Charter. That claim stood in direct tension with Azerbaijan’s insistence on its territorial integrity and the inviolability of Soviet-era administrative borders. The failure to resolve that tension through diplomacy over three decades ultimately ended in war.

Groong covered the 44-Day War of September–November 2020, in which Azerbaijan retook large portions of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) with Turkish military support, and the November 9, 2020 ceasefire brokered by Russia. That ceasefire created an unstable status quo: the Republic of Artsakh continued to exist on a reduced territory under the protection of Russian peacekeepers, but Azerbaijan progressively tightened its grip. The nine-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor from December 2022 onward cut the region off from food, medicine, and fuel, creating a humanitarian crisis documented in real time on Groong.

Azerbaijan’s military offensive of September 19–20, 2023 ended Armenian governance of Nagorno-Karabakh entirely. Within three weeks, virtually the entire Armenian population of Artsakh at the time — some 120,000 people, the descendants of communities that had lived in the region for millenia — was driven from the Republic of Artsakh to Armenia. Human rights organizations and many governments characterized this as ethnic cleansing. The Azerbaijani government dissolved the Republic of Artsakh on January 1, 2024.

Groong’s ongoing coverage addresses the situation of Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku, including former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan , the right of return for the displaced population, ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations , and the prospects for accountability for what occurred.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Nagorno Karabakh.

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 12, 2022

Topics:

  • The Opposition Activates Politics
  • Russia Revises Lavrov’s Parukh Response
  • War Dividends
  • Caucasus Barometer Survey Takeaways

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian - TW/@Hrant_M

Host:

  • Asbed Bedrossian - TW/@qubriq

Episode 142 | Recorded: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220612.html

#lavrov #armeniannews

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - June 12, 2022

Topics:

  • The Opposition Activates Politics
  • Russia Revises Lavrov’s Parukh Response
  • War Dividends
  • Caucasus Barometer Survey Takeaways

Guest:

  • Hrant Mikaelian - TW/@Hrant_M

Host:

  • Asbed Bedrossian - TW/@qubriq

Episode 142 | Recorded: Monday, June 13, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220612.html

#lavrov #armeniannews

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

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

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 29, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction

  • 02:27 Russia’s Geopolitics: We’ll get an update on the war as well as trying to understand what Russia’s endgame is in Ukraine and how it may affect our region.

  • 23:10 Armenia-Russia Relations: Next, we try to understand the dynamics of Armenia-Russian relations as well as the outlook for the future.

  • 42:38 Israeli Interests and Armenia: Lastly, taking advantage of our guest’s area of expertise, we look at Israeli-Armenian relations, the history of failures in this

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Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 29, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction

  • 02:27 Russia’s Geopolitics: We’ll get an update on the war as well as trying to understand what Russia’s endgame is in Ukraine and how it may affect our region.

  • 23:10 Armenia-Russia Relations: Next, we try to understand the dynamics of Armenia-Russian relations as well as the outlook for the future.

  • 42:38 Israeli Interests and Armenia: Lastly, taking advantage of our guest’s area of expertise, we look at Israeli-Armenian relations, the history of failures in this

 Read More

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:05 “Agenda of Peace” Negotiations Continue
  • 34:49 Iran-Armenia Relations
  • 44:00 CSTO Leaders Meeting in Moscow
  • 49:44 State of the Opposition Protests
  • 59:51 Hovik’s Rant

Guests:

  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao

Guest(s):

Armenian News Network/Groong Week in Review - May 22, 2022

Topics:

  • 00:00 Introduction
  • 01:05 “Agenda of Peace” Negotiations Continue
  • 34:49 Iran-Armenia Relations
  • 44:00 CSTO Leaders Meeting in Moscow
  • 49:44 State of the Opposition Protests
  • 59:51 Hovik’s Rant

Guests:

  • Dr. Benyamin Poghosyan / TW/@Benyamin_Poghos

Host:

  • Hovik Manucharyan TW/@HovikYerevan
  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode 139 | Recorded: Monday, May 23, 2022 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20220522.html #zartnirlao

Guest(s):

The Armenian Diaspora Survey - May 21, 2022

Topics:

  • What is the ArmenianDiasporaSurvey.com?
  • Sponsor and Admin teams
  • Survey Details
  • Why Diaspora Armenian should take the Survey

Guests:

  • Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian, a sociologist, is the Director of the Armenian Diaspora Survey project. He is Associate of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford in the UK. 
  • Ayda Erbal is an adjunct instructor of political science at New York University, She is the Survey Manager in the New York/New Jersey region and leading the social media
 Read More