Azeris destroy fallen soldiers memorial in Artsakh village, cross-stone missing

Azerbaijani forces have destroyed a memorial complex commemorating fallen troops in Tsar, a village in Artsakh’s Karvachar region. A 1224 cross-stone (khachkar) erected in the area has also gone missing, the Scientific Research Centre for Historical and Cultural Heritage warns.

“Photos circulating online reveal that the 13th-century cross-stone in the Artsakh village of Tsar is missing. The observations and searches for the condition of the cross-stone were unsuccessful. Given Azerbaijan’s policy towards the Armenian historical and cultural heritage, it can be assumed that this unique sample of the Armenian khachkar art has been destroyed,” it said in a social media post on Thursday.

In 2010, UNESCO placed Armenian khachkars, their symbolism and craftsmanship on its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.