[21][20] The war ended with a ceasefire in 1994, with the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh in control of most of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as occupying the surrounding districts of Agdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin and Zangilan of Azerbaijan and the Lachin Corridor - a mountain pass that links Nagorno-Karabakh with mainland Armenia.

[23] Long-standing international mediation attempts to create a peace process were initiated by the OSCE Minsk Group in 1994, with the interrupted Madrid Principles being the most recent iteration.

In August 2019, in an unprecedented declaration in favour of unification, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, visited Nagorno-Karabakh, stating, "Artsakh is Armenia, full stop".

[23] Thousands of Azerbaijanis demonstrated for war to retake the occupied territories in response, with Turkey increasing its support of Azerbaijan.

[27] The Azerbaijani forces started operations along the Aras River on 27 September, with advancements in Jabrayil and Fuzuli districts, and the initial objective to seize control of Cəbrayıl and Füzuli.

[41] A BBC Russian Service correspondent confirmed that the city of Laçın was occupied by the Armenians, but was under heavy Azerbaijani shelling.

[42] On 25 October, the clashes continued with varying intensity, with the Azerbaijani MoD stating that its forces had seized control of further territory.

[49][50] On 26 October, in midday, the president of Azerbaijan stated that Azerbaijani forces had seized control of Padar, Əfəndilər, Yusifbəyli, Çay Tumas, Xanlıq, Sarıyataq, and Mollabürhan in Qubadli District[51] along the Hakari Valley.

[61] On 29 October, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev stated that the Azerbaijani forces had seized control of Qiyaslı, Əbılcə, and Qilican in Qubadli District.

[63] On 2 November, clashes continued near Qubadlı,[64] with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev stating that the Azerbaijani forces had seized control of İşıqlı, Muradxanlı, and Milanlı in Qubadli District later in the day.

[70] As of 26 October, the Azerbaijani authorities claimed that they had inflicted heavy losses on Armenian forces, but did not provide specific numbers.