# Republic of Artsakh
The Republic of Artsakh (Armenian: Արցախի Հանրապետություն), also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, was a self-declared republic in the [Nagorno-Karabakh](https://www.edgepedia.org/nagorno-karabakh) region of the [South Caucasus](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-caucasus), a territory internationally recognized as part of [Azerbaijan](https://www.edgepedia.org/azerbaijan). It existed from 1991 until its dissolution in 2023 and was never recognized by any UN member state.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Declaration of independence | Proclaimed on September 2, 1991 by a joint session of deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and the Shahumian region, invoking the Soviet law on secession; confirmed by a referendum on December 10, 1991 [1](https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2021/09/02/mfa_statement_artsakh/11054) |
| International status | Internationally unrecognized; Nagorno-Karabakh was recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and the republic was backed by Armenia [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/) |
| Population | Approximately 120,000, about 95% ethnic Armenian [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/) |
| 2020 war | A six-week war in 2020 ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire and deployment of about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers [3](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/a32b39e785d5973710a0054e4283b082) |
| Blockade | Azerbaijan blockaded the Lachin Corridor from December 2022, cutting the region's only road link to Armenia; the UN declared a humanitarian emergency in August 2023 [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/) |
| Final offensive | Azerbaijan launched a military offensive on September 19, 2023; Karabakh authorities accepted a ceasefire within about 24 hours [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/) |
| Dissolution | President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on September 28, 2023 dissolving all state institutions by January 1, 2024 [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/) |
## Origins and declaration of independence
Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous region within the Azerbaijan SSR, populated predominantly by ethnic [Armenians](https://www.edgepedia.org/armenians). As Soviet central authority weakened in the late 1980s, a movement arose seeking incorporation into Armenia, and tensions escalated after the 1988 Sumgait pogrom. On September 2, 1991, a joint session of deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and the Shahumian district proclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, invoking the Soviet law on secession. A referendum on independence held on December 10, 1991 confirmed the declaration [1](https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2021/09/02/mfa_statement_artsakh/11054).
The declaration was internationally unrecognized. In 1992, the region's legislature issued a declaration of independence that no UN member state recognized [3](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html). Full-scale war between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces lasted until a ceasefire in 1994, after which ethnic Armenian forces controlled Nagorno-Karabakh and sizable surrounding territories [4](https://apnews.com/article/a32b39e785d5973710a0054e4283b082).
## De facto statehood
For three decades the republic operated its own government, armed forces, and institutions without international recognition [5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13621025.2024.2321715). In a 2006 constitutional referendum, adopted with an 87 percent majority, the state was renamed the Republic of Artsakh, its Armenian name, and the system of government changed from semi-presidential to presidential [6](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346181736_Exploring_the_Legality_of_the_Constitutional_and_Independence_Referendums_in_Nagorno-Karabakh_under_International_Law). Officials pointed to the 1991 and 2006 referendums as evidence of the population's choice of independence [7](https://time.com/6247979/russia-nagorno-karabakh-humanitarian-crisis/).
Azerbaijan regarded the territory as occupied under international law and refused to recognize its sovereignty [5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13621025.2024.2321715). Armenia acted as a patron state, providing support without formally recognizing the republic's independence [8](https://sisu.ut.ee/defactostates/will-armenia-recognize-independence-nagorno-karabakh/).
## The 2020 war and blockade
In a six-week war in 2020, Azerbaijan restored control over territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and a portion of the region itself [3](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html). The Russian-brokered agreement that ended the fighting deployed about 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to the region [4](https://apnews.com/article/a32b39e785d5973710a0054e4283b082).
In December 2022, Azerbaijan began blocking the Lachin Corridor, the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The blockade produced shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and basic supplies, and in August 2023 the United Nations declared a humanitarian emergency in the region [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/).
## The 2023 offensive and dissolution
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched what it called an anti-terrorist operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Just over 24 hours later, the Karabakh authorities accepted a Russian-mediated ceasefire that included the disarmament of the region's self-defense forces and its reintegration with Azerbaijan [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/).
Within ten days of the offensive, more than 100,000 people, most of the region's estimated population of 120,000, had departed for Armenia [3](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html). On September 28, President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree dissolving all state institutions by January 1, 2024, after which the state ceased to exist [2](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/).
## Aftermath
A UN mission that visited the region on October 1, 2023 reported seeing very few local residents and heard that between 50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remained [3](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html). The influx of refugees increased Armenia's population by approximately 3 to 4 percent within a few weeks, prompting a large international response; the United States announced more than $11.5 million in regional assistance and the European Union about $11 million in humanitarian aid [9](https://armenia.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/NAGORNO-KARABAKH-25-12-2024-2_0.pdf) • [3](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html).
The dissolution ended the OSCE Minsk Process mediation framework: in September 2025, the OSCE Ministerial Council closed the Minsk process and related structures following a joint appeal from [Armenia](https://www.edgepedia.org/armenia) and Azerbaijan [10](https://www.osce.org/chairpersonship/596899). [Freedom House](https://www.edgepedia.org/freedom-house) assessed that the territory's status declined from Partly Free to Not Free following the blockade, the offensive, and the departure of nearly the entire civilian population [11](https://freedomhouse.org/country/nagorno-karabakh).
## References
1. [Statement of the MFA of Armenia on the 30th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh](https://www.mfa.am/en/interviews-articles-and-comments/2021/09/02/mfa_statement_artsakh/11054)
2. [What is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh? House of Commons Library, 28 September 2023](https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9862/)
3. [Azerbaijan's Retaking of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Displacement of Karabakh Armenians, CRS Insight IN12265](https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/IN12265.html)
4. [What's at stake for Nagorno-Karabakh, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/a32b39e785d5973710a0054e4283b082)
5. [An illegal Republic: the formation and continuity of the collective legal identity of Karabakh Armenians](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13621025.2024.2321715)
6. [Exploring the Legality of the Constitutional and Independence Referendums in Nagorno-Karabakh under International Law](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346181736_Exploring_the_Legality_of_the_Constitutional_and_Independence_Referendums_in_Nagorno-Karabakh_under_International_Law)
7. [The Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh Highlights Russia's Waning Global Influence, Time](https://time.com/6247979/russia-nagorno-karabakh-humanitarian-crisis/)
8. [Will Armenia Recognize the Independence of Nagorno-Karabakh? De facto states research unit](https://sisu.ut.ee/defactostates/will-armenia-recognize-independence-nagorno-karabakh/)
9. [Nagorno-Karabakh displacement report, UN Armenia](https://armenia.un.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/NAGORNO-KARABAKH-25-12-2024-2_0.pdf)
10. [OSCE Ministerial Council decision marks new step towards sustainable peace in the South Caucasus](https://www.osce.org/chairpersonship/596899)
11. [Nagorno-Karabakh: Country Profile, Freedom House](https://freedomhouse.org/country/nagorno-karabakh)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Countries, territories, and regional overviews › Countries and territories › Disputed and occupied territories › Unrecognized and partially recognized states*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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