Azerbaijan Destroys Armenian Holy Mother of God Church in Artsakh

Satellite imagery obtained by Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) confirms that the Azerbaijani regime has demolished the Holy Mother of God Church in Stepanakert, the former capital of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). The church, consecrated in 2019 after 12 years of construction, was destroyed within the last eight weeks, as evidenced by Sentinel-2 satellite images from March 3 and April 2. The Artsakh Tourism and Cultural Development Agency announced the destruction on April 21, three days before the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. This demolition follows a pattern of damage to Armenian religious and cultural sites since the forced displacement of over 130,000 Armenians in September 2023.