57 Azerbaijani families have returned to the former Karabakh conflict zone

More than 230 members of Azerbaijani families who fled during the Karabakh conflict returned to Lachin, Hadrut, and two other settlements today.

As the " Caucasian Knot " reported, on September 12, 2025, the first group of former internally displaced persons, consisting of 42 members of 10 families, was sent to the village of Hadrut in the Khojavend region.

Today, groups of former internally displaced persons were sent to Lachin, the villages of Hadrut and Gyrmyzy Bazar in the Khojavend region, and the village of Khydyrly in the Aghdam region, Trend reports.

Seventeen families (69 people) are returning to Lachin, six families (26 people) to the village of Hadrut, 18 families (91 people) to Gyrmyzy Bazar, and 16 families (45 people) to Khydyrly, the publication says.

04:43 14.10.2024

Bus service between Baku and Lachin launched

The first bus made a direct trip from Baku to Lachin. Regular bus service was launched as part of the Azerbaijani government's "Great Return" program.

The return of IDP families to Lachin began in May 2023. Earlier, in August 2022, Azerbaijani forces took control of Lachin (Armenian name: Berdzor) and villages in the Lachin region.

Previously, these families were temporarily resettled in various regions of Azerbaijan, mainly in dormitories, sanatoriums, and administrative buildings, APA reports today.

As a reminder, Gırmızı Bazar is the Azerbaijani name for the village of Krasny Bazar (the Armenian toponym is Karmir Shuka), which belonged to the Martuni district of Nagorno-Karabakh. In February 2020, the homes of the village's Armenian population came under fire from Azerbaijani forces, causing residents to fear taking their children to kindergarten. Residents complained that their homes were damaged as a result of the shelling. The shelling keeps people in constant fear , and the villagers reported that their livestock is being systematically stolen.

On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan launched large-scale military operations and took control of Nagorno-Karabakh, triggering a mass exodus of the Armenian population. By October 7, 2023, 100,632 internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh had arrived in Armenia, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report, " The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh ."

On November 10, 2023, Azerbaijani authorities announced plans to resettle 140,000 people in Karabakh by 2026. By August 2024, 2,036 families (7,901 people) of internally displaced persons had returned to the territories of Karabakh under Baku's control.

Azerbaijani displaced persons ( IDPs) complained about the difficulties of returning to Karabakh. Specifically, they noted a shortage of jobs in Fizuli. They are seeking opportunities to return to their homelands, but property issues in the territories under Azerbaijani control have not yet been resolved, the IDPs noted.

Azerbaijani analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" pointed out that simply providing housing for internally displaced persons returning to their cities is not enough. They emphasized that the authorities must create jobs and build infrastructure.