Azerbaijan has commenced the transformation of Freedom Fighters Avenue in Stepanakert

The Azerbaijani side has begun the reconstruction of one of the central streets in Stepanakert, Freedom Fighters Avenue. This is evident in videos posted by construction workers in Stepanakert, where many of the buildings on Freedom Fighters Avenue are covered with construction scaffolding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkOgERWe6VU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivirjJaciWg).

The city's music college and nearby buildings are undergoing Azerbaijani "reconstruction," with construction equipment positioned near the Stepanakert Geological Museum.

Videos show that all Armenian writings—such as signs, advertisements, and street names—have been removed from the buildings on the central streets of Stepanakert.

After such reconstructions, buildings typically change function. This poses a significant risk to the cultural institutions located on Freedom Fighters Avenue, which are among the first to be reconstructed. The fate of the contents of these buildings—such as books, archival materials, and exhibits—remains uncertain. Additionally, the small cultural compositions placed along the street over the years are often removed. For example, following the functional change of the central building of Artsakhbank, the composition depicting a pomegranate tree, created by sculptor Robert Askarian, has disappeared (Fig. 1).

 

Fig. 1