Bogus "blockade" narrative of Armenians in Karabakh
Fakes versus facts / PHOTO

KARABAKH  11 January 2023 - 14:55

In the last month, the number one theme of Armenians' continuous propaganda in front of the world community was related to the Armenians living in Khankendi and the surrounding regions facing "starvation and disaster under the conditions of the blockade".

Complaining Armenians claim that the socioeconomic situation in Khankendi has reached an unsustainable level and that the "blocking" of the Lachin-Khankendi road by Azerbaijani eco-activists since December 12, 2022, has resulted in the cessation of bringing food, medicine, and other products to the region from Armenian territory. As usual, mercenary propagandists abroad were able to take full advantage of this opportunity, thanks to funding from the Armenian diaspora, Baku-based website faktyoxla.az reports.

Information about Khankendi’s shops being empty, kindergartens going on vacation due to a lack of food, and even the central market closing spread more quickly in late December and early January.

Armenian ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan, Armenian ambassador to the Netherlands and Luxembourg Tigran Balayan, social activists and journalists Mariam Avetisyan, Siranush Sargsyan, Nara Matinyan, and others were especially distinguished in this propaganda work.

Faktyoxla [Fact Check] conducted research based on the photos and videos shared by the Armenians to determine whether the Azerbaijani citizens in Khankendi are truly hungry, whether there is no gas or water in this city, and whether they could hardly find bread to eat.

Following Konul Shahin's posts, Armenian propagandists realized they had been exposed and were forced to issue such an appeal. “Please tell your friends about food on Instagram, and don't share photos of full plates in restaurants in your stories. It's a shame. Today marks the 25th day of the blockade."

I am not saying that life is easy,of course there are difficulties.But people who have been busy with propaganda since the 1st day are creating information pollution
As it can be seen from the photo,people celebrate their birthdays in luxury restaurants.
Pics from Dec18 and Dec30 pic.twitter.com/vELAtQrqlT

— Könül Şahin ☯ (@KonulikShahin) December 31, 2022

These appeals and warnings, however, would be effective if Armenian propagandists corrected their errors and did not return to this topic. Unfortunately, we can see the opposite. Now, using the fact-checking techniques we will present and attempt to demonstrate how Armenian propaganda is based on lies and how they spread false information as truth.

Like we see from the videos most of fancy and popular restaurants of Khankendi is full and some little parties .
Shared on December 30#Azerbaijan #Karabakh 2/ pic.twitter.com/N2OgKSCSAj

— Könül Şahin ☯ (@KonulikShahin) December 31, 2022

Fact 1. Consider the food selection and the number of customers at this "SBS market" store on Hekimyan Street 11 in Khankendi. If there is mass starvation in a city if there is no food, why is there no queue in this store, and the counters are piled high with food products? Perhaps the seller is "Turkish," and the Armenians have boycotted this place?

Fact 2. On December 20, a website that serves as the separatists' main propaganda mouthpiece shared information about the Khankendi market. The news title is "The central market of Khankendi is under blockade today," but it was quickly changed to "The central market of Khankendi is closed today."

Shared from Khankendi ( Stepanakert ) today .
"there's everything. it's beautiful." a blogger says 8/#Karabakh pic.twitter.com/ZMcSBCtSsN

— Könül Şahin ☯ (@KonulikShahin) December 31, 2022

We couldn't find that news on the site at the time of our investigation. They apparently realised that no matter how much they hid, the information would spread, and they wanted to protect themselves by completely removing the news from the site.

However, on December 27, one of the separatist regime's main propagandists, Siranush Sargsyan, shared a photo from the closed market and a "heartbreaking" tweet that read, "A mother came to cook soup or puree for her children and asked for a kilogram of potatoes and carrots."

Fact 3: A propagandist named Arman Tatoyan spread false information about "120,000 Armenians being blockaded as a result of Azerbaijan's policy" and accompanied it with photos of Khankendi stores with empty counters. A user named Kevork Oskanian shared one of those photos in a relatively large size. Watch those screenshots.

The meat and meat products arranged on top of the refrigerator are hidden in the photo shared by A.Tatoyan. It is barely visible in the photo shared by K. Oskanyan. We also have a large selection of products hidden above the refrigerator.

Armenians expose their own lies.

Fact 4: Through the photographs of Marut Vanyan, Armenians convey to the world community that "hunger and misery" reign in Khankendi. That information is sometimes distorted, sometimes taken out of context, and sometimes completely fabricated. Let's start with the photo taken by this fake photographer.

This is a full view of the market counter where the photo was taken. Another source provided us with the full version of the photo in this Marut Vanyan tweet. Take note of the counters to the right, left, and upstairs, as well as the refrigerator full of food opposite.

I wonder why the lens of this photographer's camera only sees the vinegar solution that has been thoroughly cleaned around it.

Fact 5: Because of the sunlight and shadows falling on the location of this photograph, we were able to confirm that it was taken on a weekend morning (between 8-8:30 AM). Many of the vendors have yet to begin working, and a nearby clothing store is also closed. The variety of fruits and vegetables in the photo's right corner is eye-catching. This is yet another instance of deception. They show the market counter, which has not yet opened for buyers, with the thought of "scarcity-hunger".

These photos show a similar pattern.

Fact 6. In one of the stores, an empty refrigerator is on display. Those who carried out this propaganda, however, forgot to set aside the frozen meat and fish they placed in front of the store refrigerator, leaving such an exposed scene as a "gift" to us.

Fact 7. This photo is a good scenario for "camera jokes". Those who lived during the Soviet era will remember this device well. Throwing money into the machine and grabbing a gift through the iron hooks was possible. Instead of a gift, an ordinary onion is placed here. The comment indicates that this device was installed in Khankendi and that the residents were given this opportunity because onions were scarce.

Armenians thought of everything well, but they were a little careless. In a large format, we show the faces of people standing near that device. Yes, as we've seen, they were representatives of Southeast Asian people.

So, why should a Southeast Asian compete in the onion race in Khankendi? After all, an Armenian must have been living in poverty here. Very straightforward. The photograph is not from Azerbaijan. It was photographed three years ago.

Fact 8: Take a look at these two images. The following time, empty showcase refrigerators will be on display. When viewed through the eyes of a foreigner, it is a very "sad" photograph.

However, with the assistance of technology, let us examine the photo through a wide lens. Take note of the food reflected in the glass on the shelves in front of both refrigerators.

Fact 9: Apart from the CIS countries, no country in the world allows the "piecemeal" sale of cigarettes. A customer is given a cigarette by the seller in this photograph. The cigarette in the seller's hand is Captain Black. Smokers know that this type of cigarette is high in tar, so regular use is dangerous for the body. In general, smoking is dangerous for health, but this type has more serious consequences. That's why there are people who prefer to smoke piece by piece. And the Armenians use this moment for propaganda that "cigarette products are no longer found in shops".

Fact 10: These photos of empty counters depict the state of stores at various times of the day. Some of the photographs appear to have been taken in the morning (the vendors have not yet begun work), while others appear to have been taken in the evening (the vendors have finished their work). It should be noted that [details in] all photos are determined by sunlight, shop lighting, shadow structure, and sun angle.

Fact 11. These photos show how “poor, hungry and blockaded” Armenians "suffered" on New Year's Eve.

There also a lot of New Year pictures taken by professional photographers in the studios.
Many shared this week and today.
I think better journalist from Karabakh focus on bringing true news rather than propaganda, otherwise it will like the story of boy and wolf 12/ pic.twitter.com/vvY0yaDC3D

— Könül Şahin ☯ (@KonulikShahin) December 31, 2022

Fact 12. In these photos, we can see residents of Khankendi "immersed" in darkness.

Let's pay attention to the next "gift" and thought of the photographer Marut Vanyan, whom we talked about earlier. It shows a group of people gathering in the street by candlelight.

But after this sharing, he could not find an answer to the hundreds of questions asked to him: "Why do they gather by candlelight when the street lamps and lights are on?"

Thus, we once again exposed the production of fake news by Armenian propagandists about the plight of Khankendi Armenians living under "blockade".

Caliber.Az