Five years since deadly missile strike on Ganja

Today marks five years since Armenian forces carried out the fifth missile attack on Azerbaijan’s Ganja city during the Second Karabakh war.

On Oct. 17, 2020, at around 1 a.m., the city’s Javadhan district was struck by SCUD/Elbrus ballistic missiles launched from outside the frontline zone. The attack destroyed residential buildings, leaving 15 civilians dead and more than 55 injured, including women, children and the elderly.

The strike caused severe damage to civilian infrastructure and vehicles. Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal case under multiple articles related to war crimes.

On the same night, Armenian forces also attempted to target the industrial city of Mingachevir and its hydroelectric power station with missiles, which were intercepted by Azerbaijan’s air defence units.

In total, Ganja was hit five times during October 2020 (on Oct. 4, 5, 8, 11 and 17), leaving 27 civilians dead and 175 injured.