Transformation of Modern Wars in the South Caucasus: Azerbaijan's Hybrid War Against Artsakh

Elamiryan, Ruben · 2024

Argues that the Third Artsakh war transformed the security environment of the South Caucasus and exposed the parameters of hybrid warfare as a new conflict format. The paper analyzes the strategies, tactics, and instruments Azerbaijan deployed against Artsakh, holding that hybrid operations were not new but were sharply intensified after the 44-day war. It identifies the components of the campaign: information-psychological influence operations, economic and energy pressure, ecological claims, the blockade, international campaigning, efforts to split Armenian political power in Armenia and the diaspora, and sabotage against critical infrastructure. The author frames the outcome as a full-scale hybrid operation aimed at producing an Artsakh without Armenians.

Citation checked against the publisher's record on 2026-07-13.