User:Գարիկ Ավագյան/Bombardment of Martakert

The bombardment of Martakert was the bombardment of the cities, towns, and villages in the Martakert Province, Nagorno-Karabakh of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh (de jure as part of Azerbaijan). It was carried out by Azerbaijani Armed Forces during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The city Martakert, along with the de facto capital Stepanakert, were badly damaged as a result of shelling during the war.

Background
The clashes are part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh with an ethnic Armenian majority. The region is a de jure part of Azerbaijan, but is de facto held by the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by Armenia. The region has been historically inhabited and governed by ethnic Armenians. In 1921, Stalin made Nagorno-Karabakh an autonomous region in Soviet Azerbaijan, against the will of its majority ethnic Armenian population. Ethnic violence began in the late 1980s, and exploded into a full war following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The War ended with a ceasefire in 1994, with the Republic of Artsakh controlling most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as the surrounding districts of Agdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan of Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh held an independence referendum in 1991, voting to secede from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan did not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh and the war continued until the 1994 ceasefire.