Patrick Lancaster, who calls himself a journalist, has prepared a report that allegedly “the Azerbaijani military fired at refugees who were trying to leave Karabakh.”

Faktyoxla Lab. has tried to clarify this information.

During our research, it turned out that not a single Armenian media resource has ever mentioned that the Azerbaijani military fired at refugees who were trying to leave Karabakh. Only opposition telegram channels published Patrick Lancaster’s report.

In addition, as it turns out from the report itself, an Armenian woman, a medical worker who is treating a bullet wound on the leg of a young Armenian, in Russian language tells Lancaster in Armenia about the “shelling of refugees.” By the way, he was wounded two days before the day the report was made. That is, he was not injured at all when he was “trying to leave Karabakh.” It is quite possible that the young Armenian was a member of illegal armed groups.

The local anti-terrorism measures of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were carried out to restore the constitutional order throughout the Karabakh economic region. Strikes with precision weapons were carried out only on military installations of the Armenian Armed Forces and Armenian illegal armed groups; civilian infrastructure and the civilian population were not targeted during the anti-terrorism measures.

The anti-terrorism measures made it possible to implement the provisions of the tripartite statement of November 9-10, 2020, to stop military provocations, sabotage and terrorist attacks in the Karabakh economic region, to withdraw the Armenian Armed Forces from Azerbaijan, and thereby ensured the safety of the civilian population and restoration work in the region.

Conclusion:

- Patrick Lancaster’s report does not reflect reality, is not supported by evidence, facts and is unfounded.

- Not a single Armenian media outlet has so far mentioned in its materials that Armenians leaving Karabakh were subjected to fire by the Azerbaijani military.