Azerbaijan Begins Reconstruction of Stepanakert's Freedom Fighters Avenue

The Azerbaijani side has commenced reconstruction works on one of the central streets of Stepanakert, known as Freedom Fighters Avenue. This information has been reported by Monument Watch.

Videos captured by construction workers in Stepanakert clearly show that many buildings along Freedom Fighters Avenue are covered with construction scaffolding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkOgERWe6VU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivirjJaciWg).

The city's music college and nearby buildings are undergoing Azerbaijani "reconstruction," and construction machinery is stationed near the Stepanakert Geological Museum. From the videos, it is visible that all Armenian inscriptions—signs, advertisements, and street names—have been removed from the buildings on the central streets of Stepanakert.

Such reconstructions typically lead to the buildings acquiring new functions. This poses a threat to cultural establishments located on Freedom Fighters Avenue, which are being prioritized for reconstruction. In such cases, the fate of the entire contents of these buildings—including books, archival materials, exhibits, and more—remains uncertain. After such reconstructions, small cultural compositions installed on the street over the years also disappear.

For instance, following the functional change of the main building of Artsakhbank, a composition depicting a pomegranate tree, created by sculptor Robert Askaryan, vanished.