A military-historical assessment of the Second Karabakh War: outcomes and the shift in the balance of power in the South Caucasus

The Second Karabakh War (active phase: 27 September – 10 November 2020) marked a sharp escalation of the Azerbaijan–Armenia confrontation over control of the Karabakh Economic Region, with precision strike, UAV employment, and network-centric approaches playing a key role. The military outcome enabled Azerbaijan to restore control over a substantial portion of the disputed territories and significantly shifted the regional balance of power. In 2020–2023, the legal, security, economic, and humanitarian parameters of reintegration took shape; the self-dissolution of the local de facto structures (the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”) as of 1 January 2024 and the final establishment of full Azerbaijani control over the region became the concluding markers.