An analysis of satellite imagery captured in February 2025 indicates that the Azerbaijani side has destroyed a substantial portion of residential buildings in the village of Tsamdzor, located in the Hadrut region of occupied Artsakh. In satellite images of 2020, the village appears intact and undamaged (Fig. 1). However, by August 2021, visible damage had already occurred (Figs. 2, 3).

This pattern of destruction aligns with reports of widespread looting and deliberate damage by Azerbaijani forces in the occupied villages of Artsakh. Such looting is reportedly carried out primarily by military personnel deployed in the area and construction groups. Evidence from hundreds of videos shows theft, demolition, and intentional property damage throughout Artsakh. In Tsamdzor specifically, many houses have been missing roofs since 2021, suggesting a systematic dismantling process rather than a single destructive event. The absence of heavy equipment tracks in the village further supports the conclusion that looting is being conducted gradually.

Despite the devastation, satellite imagery reveals that the Surb Astvatsatsin  Church in Tsamdzor remains standing (Fig. 4). For more information about Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Tsamdzor, please refer to Surb Astvatsatsin Church of Tsamdzor, https://monumentwatch.org/en/monument/surb-astvatsatsin-church-of-tsamdzor/.

Our response

The destruction of Tsamdzor Village in the Hadrut region by Azerbaijan during the war and throughout the subsequent occupation constitutes a series of interlinked offenses under international law. These acts violate established norms for protecting cultural heritage during armed conflict and contravene UNESCO's principles of authenticity and integrity. Furthermore, they oppose the International Court of Justice's ruling on Azerbaijan's breaches of the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) (see Monument Watch reference).

In addition, the deliberate destruction of private homes and cultural property constitutes a severe breach of the laws and customs governing international armed conflicts as codified in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Specifically, Article 8(2)(b) and (e) identify intentional attacks on civilian objects—structures not being used for military purposes—and attacks on towns, villages, and settlements that do not qualify as legitimate military objectives as war crimes. Such actions are further detailed in various legal commentaries, including those accessible in Armenian via the library of the Chamber of Advocates.

Moreover, the systematic destruction of an entire village—including its cultural heritage—may be regarded as an element of genocide under international law, particularly when viewed through the lens of the ICC's Policy on Cultural Heritage (§88). The same policy observes that crimes directed against or affecting cultural heritage frequently coincide with or are perpetrated as part of genocidal campaigns. Such campaigns may involve the physical destruction, in whole or in part, of members of a particular group, whether by killing, inflicting serious bodily or mental harm, creating adverse living conditions, preventing births within the group, or forcibly transferring children (§78). Thus, the wide-ranging destruction of Tsamdzor Village underscores the gravity of these violations and highlights the urgent need for international attention and accountability.