Six years have passed since the city of Barda was targeted in another missile attack by Armenian armed forces during the Second Karabakh War.

Axar.az on October 28, 2020, enemy armed units fired Smerch rockets at residential areas of Barda, where civilians were densely concentrated, as well as civilian and commercial facilities, including areas with private houses and apartment buildings.

As a result of the strikes carried out by Armenia using cluster munitions prohibited under international law, 20 civilians and one employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were killed, while nearly 70 people were injured.

Several civilian facilities were also destroyed, vehicles were rendered unusable, and residents suffered substantial material losses.

In connection with the incident, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan launched a criminal investigation under Articles 120.2.1 (intentional murder committed by a criminal association or organization), 120.2.4 (intentional murder committed with particular cruelty or by a generally dangerous method), 120.2.12 (intentional murder motivated by national, racial, or religious hatred or enmity), 100.2 (waging an aggressive war), and other provisions of the Criminal Code. The preliminary investigation was assigned to the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor’s Office.

It should be noted that Barda District and the city center came under missile and heavy artillery attacks by Armenian armed forces three times during the Second Karabakh War — on October 5, 27, and 28. As a result, 29 people were killed and 112 were injured. Civilian infrastructure and vehicles across the district also sustained extensive damage.

It is recalled that, as a result of Armenia’s military aggression during the Second Karabakh War, a total of 93 civilians were killed, including 12 children and 27 women, while 454 civilians were injured. In addition, 12,292 residential and non-residential properties and 288 vehicles were damaged, and damage was recorded at 1,018 farming enterprises.