Water Issues Arise in Artsakh After 243 Days of Blockade as 1,780 Citizens Denied Surgery

The government of Artsakh has published statistical data on the 243rd day of the blockade. According to the report, as a result of the suspension of planned surgeries at all medical facilities in Artsakh, approximately 1,780 citizens have been deprived of the opportunity to resolve health issues through surgical intervention, with an increase of about 15 cases in the last three days.

To date, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), 690 patients have been transported from Artsakh to Armenia, along with 70 more patients escorted by Russian peacekeepers for appropriate medical treatment. Due to additional obstacles raised by Azerbaijan regarding the ICRC's activities, transfers were halted for almost a month in May, suspended again on June 15, and continued with certain interruptions and additional hindrances until finally ceasing on July 30 due to the abduction of patient Vagif Khachatryan during transfer by the ICRC.

As a result of the blockade, approximately 3,900 individuals, including 550 children, have been unable to return to their homes; some have already returned with the support of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers. No citizen has been able to travel freely along the Stepanakert-Goris highway (Lachin corridor), and incidents of bilateral movement of people have decreased by approximately 224 times, with existing crossings only possible with the aid of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers (2,667 entries and exits recorded during the 243 days, instead of 595,350). In the last three days, only 39 exit and entry cases have been recorded, exclusively with ICRC vehicles.

No vehicles belonging to Artsakh citizens have crossed the blocked road, and the total vehicle movement has been nearly 76 times less than it would have been without the blockade (2,948 entries and exits instead of 223,560 during the 243 days, limited to Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers). This indicates that only 7 vehicle crossings were recorded in the last three days, restricted solely to ICRC vehicles.

Approximately 17 times less essential goods have been imported solely by the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers than would normally have been the case without the blockade (5,715 tons instead of about 97,200 tons over 243 days, with no imports in the last three days). Throughout the blockade, Azerbaijan has completely or partially interrupted the gas supply from Armenia to Artsakh for a total of 176 days, while electricity supply has been entirely disrupted for 214 days. This has led to daily rolling and additional emergency outages and the closure or reduction of numerous institutions.

Since the beginning of the blockade, 1,468 business entities (34.3% of the total) have suspended their activities due to the impossibility of operating under blockade conditions. According to preliminary estimates, around 17,000 people (including instances of temporary job preservation with state support) have lost their jobs and source of income since the blockade began, with the figure especially rising rapidly in recent times. All sectors of the economy have been fully or partially affected by the blockade.

Construction works on 32.6 kilometers of road, dozens of kilometers of water supply pipelines, thousands of hectares of irrigation systems, 3,717 residential units, and more than 40 social and production infrastructure projects have ceased. The expected damage to the economy of the Republic of Artsakh during the blockade has been estimated at around $462 million, resulting in a forecasted annual GDP figure (of $903 million) being compromised by approximately 51%. These details are outlined in the report.