Armenian Christians Say Azerbaijanis Are Firing at Crosses in Syunik, Vow to Stay and Defend

Today, Ani Khachatryan from The Armenian Report traveled from Yerevan to the Syunik Province to understand the situation in the border villages firsthand. Our visit comes after multiple reports emerged in recent days about Azerbaijani forces firing towards Armenian villages in the region.

Standing at the southern border of Armenia, we bring a live report from the ground. According to residents of Khnatsakh village, gunfire has been heard throughout the night for the past few days, causing fear among the villagers, especially children. Witnesses claim they have seen gunshots lighting up the sky, with Azerbaijani forces allegedly targeting crosses near the village.

“Azeris are targeting the crosses that are located near the village. They are shooting all night from 2 a.m. until morning,” said one local resident. “The children in the village were scared, but we are not going to leave our village.”

Despite these accounts, the Armenian Ministry of Defense responded to the reports yesterday, stating that occasional gunfire is recorded along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border but does not always target Armenian territory. “In such cases, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia does not issue a message about the violation of the ceasefire regime,” the official statement read.

However, villagers say the situation remains tense. Another resident explained that due to heavy fog, it is difficult to determine whether the shots are directly aimed at the village. “They shoot from one [military] post to another at night. Well, it shouldn't be like this. This government should think about these people. No one is leaving the village, and they aren’t going to. But it shouldn’t be like this. The village needs to be protected.”

Despite the danger, the people of Khnatsakh remain resilient. They insist that they will continue working, cultivating their land, and protecting their homeland. “All of this does not depress us,” one villager said. “We will keep living our lives.”

The situation at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border remains a critical issue. While the Armenian government has downplayed the recent gunfire incidents, the voices of the border villagers tell a different story—one of ongoing tension, uncertainty, and unwavering determination to stay on their land.

This latest escalation comes in the broader context of Azerbaijan’s ongoing threats against Syunik. Since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, in which Armenia lost significant territory, Azerbaijan has repeatedly signaled its ambitions to occupy Syunik, a strategic southern province of Armenia. In 2023, Azerbaijan forcibly took over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), displacing its Armenian population in what has been widely condemned as ethnic cleansing. Now, amid talks of signing a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, concerns remain high that Azerbaijan may attempt to further its territorial claims, putting Syunik at risk. The people of this border region continue to stand their ground, knowing that their homeland remains in a fragile and uncertain situation.