Today Marks the 7th Anniversary of the April Four-Day War

Seven years have passed since the April Four-Day War. In the early morning of April 2, 2016, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military operation along the entire length of the contact line with Artsakh. The confrontation lasted for four days, later referred to as the Four-Day War or the April War. The most intense fighting took place in the southern front near Hadrut and the northeastern direction of Martakert.

During the military operations from April 2-5, the Armenian side lost 64 servicemen, 13 volunteers, and 4 civilians (totaling 81 casualties) with over 120 injured. Additionally, 9 servicemen died due to accidents after active combat operations ceased until April 13, and some others succumbed to their injuries later in hospitals.

The Azerbaijani side also suffered significant losses in that war, both in personnel and military equipment. According to information released by the State Department, around 270 Azerbaijanis were killed.

The adversary carried out attacks on civilian settlements and several permanent deployment locations of military units, resulting in the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy, Vaghik Grigoryan, while two other children were injured and taken to the hospital.

A significant influx of volunteers from Armenia and Artsakh occurred, with participants not only being veterans of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the “Defenders” union but also numerous young individuals. Their sole objective was to stand by the side of ordinary soldiers, prevent the advance of Azerbaijani troops, and protect Artsakh.

Unprecedented solidarity and aid waves surged among the Armenian community, both in Armenia and the diaspora, involving various segments of society from students to volunteers. Numerous events supporting Artsakh were organized in different parts of the world, including protest demonstrations aimed at stopping Azerbaijan's aggression against the Republic of Artsakh.

On April 5, with the mediation of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, a verbal agreement for a ceasefire was reached between the Chiefs of Staff of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armies. On the same day, the OSCE Minsk Group met in Vienna to address the conflict resolution of the Republic of Artsakh. In the following days, the agreed conditions for the ceasefire were mostly maintained, although Azerbaijan continued to attempt diversions periodically.