Five years since Armenia’s missile attack on Ganja that killed 15 civilians

Five years have passed since the fifth missile attack carried out by Armenia’s armed forces on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja during the Second Karabakh War.

At around 1 a.m. on October 17, 2020, the Javad Khan residential district, located in the heart of Ganja — Azerbaijan’s second-largest city, far from the front line — was struck by SCUD/Elbrus ballistic missiles, Caliber.Az recalls.

The attack destroyed several residential buildings, trapping civilians under the rubble.

Fifteen people were killed and more than 50 others were injured, including children, women, and elderly residents. The strike caused severe damage to civilian infrastructure and vehicles.

Following the incident, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case under several articles of the Criminal Code, including those relating to waging an aggressive war, multiple and aggravated murder, and the deliberate destruction of property on a large scale. The investigation was assigned to the investigative department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

On the same day, another peaceful city, Mingachevir — home to Azerbaijan’s key energy infrastructure, including the largest hydroelectric power station in the South Caucasus — also came under missile fire. Azerbaijani air defence forces intercepted and destroyed the missiles launched by Armenian forces towards the city, located more than 100 kilometres from the combat zone.

During the Second Karabakh War, Armenian forces shelled Ganja a total of five times — on October 4, 5, 8, 11, and 17, 2020. In total, 27 civilians were killed and 175 were wounded. The repeated strikes caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and property.

By Aghakazim Guliyev