Azeri Forces Raise Flag Over Government Building in Martakert

Storyful
1 年前

Footage published by Azerbaijani state media on September 26 shows Azerbaijani soldiers raising their national flag atop a regional government building in Martakert, also known by its Azeri name, Aghdara, in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The video depicts eight soldiers lined up in front of the building as another soldier on the roof above them removes the flags of the Republic of Artsakh – the breakaway state with a flag derived from Armenia’s flag – and tosses them over the side onto the ground below. The soldier on the roof then raises the Azerbaijan flag and the soldiers below shout “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” in celebration.

The video was released two days after another video showed an Azeri soldier placing a flag on a sign marking the entrance to the town, and after thousands of ethnic Armenians began fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh to seek refuge in neighboring Armenia.

Martakert was last under the control of Azerbaijani forces in 1992, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, according to Human Rights Watch. Credit: Azerbaijani Armed Forces via Storyful