BBC Russian Service Presents Life of Blockaded Artsakh Residents

Nagorno-Karabakh has been living in isolation for nearly 2 months. The official Baku effectively supports the blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. People are without food and medicine and have learned to live under conditions of heating and electricity outages.

The BBC Russian Service has published an article showcasing life in the blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh. Supermarket shelves are gathering dust, leaving only the most expensive or least necessary products on display. In queues, people share tips on where to find certain goods in the city.

On December 12 of last year, a group of people who called themselves Azerbaijani eco-activists closed the Lachin Corridor, the only land route connecting Stepanakert with Armenia. Official Baku supports the protesters but simultaneously insists it does not seek to cut off the region from the outside world. However, international organizations and European politicians warn that Nagorno-Karabakh is increasingly facing a humanitarian crisis.

The news service also addresses the regular gas and electricity outages, noting that the only gas pipeline passes through territories controlled by Azerbaijan. They also manage the only power line. Now, residents of Nagorno-Karabakh spend at least six hours a day (three times two hours) without electricity, and sometimes without hot water and heating. In January, due to cable damage, the region was left without internet for an entire day.

“It’s good that they disconnect for only two hours at a time, and not more. If you have dinner at nine instead of seven, you don’t lose much. We are gradually getting used to it,” says Alena Melikumyants, a resident of Stepanakert.

The city’s sky is now filled with smoke from wood stoves that help residents endure the cold. Some people buy stoves, while others try to make them on their own. Firewood is sufficient.

The streets are quiet, with cars being a rare sight. Buses still operate but on a reduced schedule, the news outlet reports.