Power and Phone Services to Be Disconnected Tomorrow: Hohikyan Discusses the Situation in Berdzor, Agavno, and Sus

The towns of Berdzor, Agavno, and Sus in the Kashatagh region of the Republic of Artsakh are to be evacuated and handed over to Azerbaijan by August 20. This was stated by regional affairs expert Nairi Hohikyan in an interview with NEWS.am, who is currently in Artsakh.

He noted that initially residents were informed to evacuate by August 25, but later they were told to leave their homes sooner.

“Tomorrow, August 18, electricity, the internet, and phone services will be disconnected. This is all being done to remove the power, phone, and internet lines from the territories that are to be handed over,” he said.

According to Hohikyan, Agavno has nearly been emptied, with only a small number of residents remaining in the village. “Among the evacuees, very few remain in Artsakh; many have gone to Yerevan and the surrounding areas,” he stated.

He shared that over 30 families have relocated from these areas. “Only two or three families are left, and they too will be moved by tomorrow. Each family has been provided with 250,000 drams and 70,000 drams for rent,” he added.

It is worth noting that the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan contact line has been tense since August 1. On August 2, Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan stated during a Security Council meeting that Azerbaijan, through peacekeepers, had demanded that the traffic of the corridor connecting Artsakh to Armenia be organized via a new route. The following day, Azerbaijani forces grossly violated the ceasefire regime, targeting Artsakh Defense Army positions and a permanent deployment site of one of its units using mortars, grenade launchers, and attack drones. The Armenian side suffered 2 fatalities and 19 injuries. On August 5, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Artsakh, Hayk Khanumyan, informed the residents of Agavno and Berdzor that they must leave their homes by August 25.