Almost All of Nagorno-Karabakh’s People Have Left, Armenia’s Government Says

An ethnic Armenian woman from Nagorno-Karabakh stands near a tent camp after arriving to Armenia's Goris in Syunik region, Armenia, on Sept. 29, 2023. Vasily Krestyaninov/AP Photo

YEREVAN, Armenia—An ethnic Armenian exodus has nearly emptied Nagorno-Karabakh of residents since Azerbaijan attacked and ordered the breakaway region’s militants to disarm, the Armenian government said Saturday.

Nazeli Baghdasaryan, the press secretary to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, said 100,417 people had arrived in Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh, which had a population of around 120,000 before Azerbaijan reclaimed the region in a lightning offensive last week.