Resting Soldier

A soldier rests in a trench, in the northeastern part of Syunik, Nerkin Khndzoresk, Armenia, on 31 October.

The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War began on 27 September, and conflict continued until 9 November. It was the worst fighting between ethnic Armenian forces and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the 1990s. The first war ended in an uneasy ceasefire, with ethnic Armenian forces proclaiming a de facto independent state, Artsakh. The two sides maintained a tense coexistence, with periodic military clashes which escalated into war in 2020. In a settlement brokered by Russia in November, the parties agreed to cease hostilities. Azerbaijan regained possession of parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent territories of Lachin, Kelbajar and Agdam. A corridor, patrolled by Russian peacekeepers, will connect Armenia to the regional capital Stepanakert.