Azerbaijanis Conduct Filming at Red Market, Residents Concerned

Azerbaijanis continue to pass through the territory of the Artsakh Red Market three times a week, accompanied by peacekeeping forces and under the supervision of village police, transporting construction materials to Shushi. However, the Azerbaijani side continues to exhibit brazen behavior, filming the Red Market, residential buildings, and residents, effectively engaging in open reconnaissance activities.

“Thank God, there have been no incidents in the village recently related to their brazen behavior, but they are filming. In general, they are filming the road, the neighboring buildings, the constructions, and the people of our settlement,” Karmir Shuka community leader Narek Atayan told “Factinfo.”

According to him, the last time the Azerbaijani side passed through the Red Market was on Thursday. At that time, they also noticed how they were filming the community. Azerbaijanis do not stop while passing through the community road, but they take videos of everything while driving.

Atayan noted that they had applied to peacekeepers several times to prohibit filming, but it is impossible to control those filming from the vehicles passing through.

“From time to time, we inform them that they are filming. A large convoy passes by, one Russian peacekeeping vehicle is at the front and another at the back, it is impossible to monitor it; we need to be cautious every time, and that is also not feasible,” he added.

The road taken by the Azerbaijanis begins in the Hadrut region, passes through the upper part of Taghavard, through the Zardarashe community, and the villages of the upper Askeran sub-region, reaching Karin Tak and then Shushi. There are no specific hours for passing through Red Market; the Azerbaijani side ascends and then descends near Shushi.

Atayan mentioned that vehicles typically pass through Red Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. “One convoy descends from Shushi around 11 a.m., and another ascends around noon. They return in the opposite direction on the same day. Depending on the time, they mainly pass through on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. A large quantity of equipment and construction materials is being transported to Shushi.”

Atayan noted that besides filming, Azerbaijanis also exhibit brazen behavior, mainly through gestures, but they have not noticed this in the last week.

There is often talk about handing over the road passing through Red Market to the Azerbaijani side. Whether the Red Market road is necessary for the Azerbaijani side, Atayan refrained from answering but mentioned that they have promised that Azerbaijanis will no longer use the road in the upcoming months. “They have told us to be patient a little longer; within three to four months, the road through the forest will be completed, and they will not use this road.”

According to Atayan, the residents of Karmir Shuka believe that everything will be fine, construction is ongoing in the community, and they are erasing the traces of devastation. Daily life is as it was before the war, but the psychological morale is different.

Residents also have arable land, and autumn planting has been carried out in November-December. There are also factories in Karmir Shuka, construction is actively ongoing, and they are engaged in cultivating their land plots.