Baku, May 31, 2025 – The Europe Today: The ongoing trial at the Baku Military Court has revealed significant details regarding the involvement of Armenian military personnel in the missile strikes on Ganja during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Court documents presented in the case identified several high-ranking members of the Armenian armed forces who orchestrated and executed the attack on Azerbaijan’s second-largest city.
According to the court findings, the attack on Ganja was carried out under the orders of Colonel Artashen Rafiki Hajatyan, commander of the 71st Military Equipment Storage Base (Military Unit No. 51556) of the Armenian armed forces, based in Stepanavan, Armenia. Other key figures involved included Lieutenant Colonel Ara Artushi Sargsyan, deputy commander; Lieutenant Colonel Vazgen Daviti Vardanyan, commander of the Elbrus operational-tactical missile system division; Lieutenant Colonel Tigran Norayri Vardanyan, commander of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system division; and other personnel operating from the Vardenis (historical Basarkechar) region of Armenia.
The missile attack, conducted in the early hours of October 11, 2020, targeted civilian infrastructure in Ganja, a city not considered an active conflict zone and devoid of any military installations. The missile, launched using the Elbrus operational-tactical missile system, carried an 8F44 type warhead with a high-explosive fragmentation effect. It struck several residential buildings on A. Rafibeyli Street, Kapaz district, where civilians were the sole inhabitants.
The deliberate targeting of this densely populated residential area resulted in the deaths of 10 civilians, with one individual severely injured, 18 sustaining minor injuries, and 32 others suffering varying degrees of harm. The attack is being considered a calculated effort to cause substantial civilian casualties, with the missile’s high destructive power aimed at amplifying the death toll.
The court proceedings, which continue to unfold, involve several Armenian nationals accused of grave crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, aggression, terrorism, and violations of international laws of war. The charges against the accused also include financing terrorism and the violent seizure and retention of power, among other serious offenses.
The trial underscores the ongoing quest for justice in the aftermath of the conflict, as Azerbaijan continues to pursue accountability for the targeted attacks on its civilian population.
