Blogger’s Video Offers a Haunting Look Inside Artsakh Today Under Azerbaijani Occupation

What does Artsakh look like today under Azerbaijani occupation? A recent travel video by blogger YoungMin Skies offers a rare answer. His visit to Stepanakert reveals empty streets, damaged landmarks, and a visible effort to reshape the identity of the occupied region.

The 18-minute blogger style video documents his journey through Artsakh, which has been under Azerbaijani occupation since September 2023. Before arriving, the blogger had already studied the history of Artsakh and its Armenian population, which shaped how he understood what he saw on the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4jE8qRIz60

His journey into the region began with a long drive through largely empty territory. When he finally reached Stepanakert, he described both the physical landscape and his emotional reaction.

“And finally, we get to the permit checkpoint and the entrance to the city of Stepanakert, where we check out our first stop. First stop, not enough Azerbaijani flags and blasting Azeri music. I get it, we're in Azerbaijan. First reaction: tragedy, sadness. Everywhere you go, it's just empty houses.”

His observations pointed to widespread abandonment across the city. He also described what he viewed as a systematic effort to erase Armenian identity from the region.

“While the government is de-armenizing the area, many landmarks are damaged, destroyed, repurposed, or remodeled. This monument still remains as a government propaganda for religious tolerance. This is a symbol of Artsakh called We Are Our Mountains, otherwise known as Grandma and Grandpa Monument. Built in the 60s, it symbolizes the connection between the people and the land of Artsakh.”

The blogger shows the contrast between visible Armenian heritage and the messaging presented during the tour. According to him, the guide initially spoke about Armenian history but quickly shifted to negative characterizations.

“Six and a half hours later, this was the first time our tour guide said anything to us, very fluently in English. She gave us the history rundown of Armenian people in the land, but then quickly shifted to negative connotations throughout the tour, every time calling them the illegal, illegitimate government, squatters. When we tried to counter and step in with our history, there was no changing the bias and the brainwashing.

Which goes to show that monument only stands because the government dictated it. What we saw from the flag display, the blasting Azeri music, and the vandalism, the Azeris want everything Armenian gone.”

Throughout the visit, the group repeatedly asked to see Armenian cultural and historical sites. However, according to the blogger, those requests were redirected, and the tour remained focused on Azerbaijani narratives.

“We continued the trip asking to see different places, and the guide would say we would do it, but the entire tour remained Azerbaijani-oriented. With my camera, I had to extract and document things myself to shape my own experience.”

One of the most striking moments described in the video was the condition of sites that had once been central to Artsakh’s Armenian identity.

“Here, a moment of shock. This was supposed to be what I wanted to see most on this tour. I had no idea, and it is completely unrecognizable [Artsakh Government and National assembly buildings that have been destroyed].”

During the visit, the guide openly described the destruction of former Armenian institutions and their replacement.

“You see, our left side was where they built the parliament building of the fake government they built here. And when we arrived here, we destroyed the building and made the victory park.”

The blogger also reported seeing remains of Artsakh State University, which he said had been renamed and remodeled after the war to reflect a different identity. He described feeling anger at what he saw and the changes that had taken place.

Despite repeated efforts, he said he was not able to properly visit important Armenian landmarks, including a church he wanted to see. According to him, access was restricted.

“I know we were running late. We kept asking to see more of the city and the Armenian history, but they kept spinning us around, saying we're late, we need to see the university, when we also, we don't wanna see it. I wanted to see the main cultural icon here, which is the church, but they kept shutting us down, drove around it, which made me suspicious about what they're doing to it.”

In the end, the visit did not match his expectations of seeing the cultural and historical heart of Stepanakert.

“So it was a shame. Stepanakert was supposed to be the highlight of the trip, but instead, we did not step foot in the city. The controlled narrative of the region was getting tiresome. We were honestly getting frustrated.”

The video stands as a rare independent account from inside Artsakh under current Azerbaijani control. Through his observations, it presents a picture of a region marked by emptiness, visible destruction, and ongoing efforts to reshape its identity, while access to its Armenian heritage appears limited and tightly controlled.

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