Military developments and casualties 

On 2 October, the spokesperson of Armenia’s Defence Ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan stated that the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh Stepanakert/Khankendi was under fire, adding that there were wounded people and badly destroyed civilian infrastructures as a result of the shelling from the Azerbaijani army.

The Armenian side reported that it had lost 54 servicemen in today’s clashes, bringing the official total tally to 107.  “The dynamics of hostilities, the weapons used, military equipment and the number of personnel were unprecedented, especially in the north-south. There were no significant changes in the operational-tactical situation,” stated the de facto Deputy Commander of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army Artur Sargsyan. It was also reported that Azerbaijan's armed forces shelled the town of  Martuni on 1 October, killing 4 civilians and wounding another 11. It was also reported that the de facto Defence Army of Nagorno-Karabakh downed 5 Azerbaijani warplanes and 3 helicopters. 

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) reported that the villages of Hindiristan, Alibeyli, Ahmadaghali and Safarli of the Aghdam region are currently under intense artillery fire, as well as the Sabirkand village of the Shamkir region and settlements in the Tovuz region. The assistant to Azerbaijan’s President Hikmet Hajiyev stated that “more than 2,000 shells fell on Tartar” on this day. The MOD also reported that military victories were achieved in the Aghdara, Jebrail-Fizuli and Murovdaz direction, destroying 5 armoured vehicles and military vehicles, 3 military infrastructure facilities, and a large number of the Armenian military personnel. 

The Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan reported that 55 civilians have been hospitalised with various injuries, and 19 persons in total have been killed so far as a consequence of heavy artillery shelling of Azerbaijani densely populated areas. 175 houses and 41 civilian facilities were severely damaged.

Political developments

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that his administration has evidence of Turkey's direct military support to Azerbaijan. “Ankara has sent military transport workers, ammunition, and military advisers to Baku. Azerbaijan is using Turkish UAVs and F-16s,” he said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro. In another interview, Pashinyan said that a truce between the conflicting parties is possible if Turkey is forced to leave the South Caucasus. The Armenian government restricted travel to Nagorno-Karabakh. The only exemptions are goods transported for the needs of the de facto Defence Army and government of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as in cases of exceptional necessity, which needs to be confirmed by permits issued by the Armenian government.

The Armenian authorities recalled its ambassador to Israel for consultation, following reports that several Azerbaijani planes landed in Israel to take aboard new batches of Israeli-made weapons. “Naturally, Israel's supply  of ultra-modern weapons to Azerbaijan is unacceptable for us. Through diplomatic channels, we have repeatedly conveyed this to our Israeli colleagues and noted that it is especially regrettable at a time when Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey, is carrying out large-scale aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia,” said the spokesperson of Armenia’s MFA Anna Naghdalyan. The MFA released also a statement early in the morning, saying that it would “resolutely counter the aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh, while at the same time being ready to work with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries to restore the ceasefire based on the agreements in 1994-1995.”

Meanwhile in Azerbaijan, heated debates are being concluded in the country’s parliament against the involvement of France in the conflict, following the latest statement of the presidents of the OSCE Minsk group (Caucasus Watch reported). “The three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group made a statement yesterday, not at the level of co-chairs, but as three heads of state. Some heads of state are already trying to be more Catholic than the pope. These statements do not serve to contribute to peace in the region. Macron's latest statements are as follows. Macron says we will not accept the re-conquering of Karabakh by Azerbaijan. What does it mean?! Karabakh is the land of Azerbaijan. The liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the occupier is the right of the Azerbaijani people and a requirement of international law. Recent events show that the format of the OSCE Minsk Group must be changed. France must withdraw from the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Azerbaijani-French relations must be reconsidered,” said the Azerbaijani parliamentarian Samad Seyidov. The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh tweeted that “France is no longer recognized as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group by Azerbaijan.” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held on the same day a phone conversation with his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian.

International reactions

The spokesperson of Russia’s MFA Maria Zakharova told at a press conference that Russia was concerned over reports that members of illegal armed groups are being moved to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, particularly from Syria and Libya, to take part in military activities. “We call on the interested countries to take effective measures to prevent attempts to engage foreign terrorists and mercenaries in the conflict and immediately remove them from the region,” she added.

Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Armenia is currently in a state of self-isolation and that peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be primarily in favour of Armenia. According to him, it is important for Armenia to choose peace or conflict. Cavusoglu also noted that currently, Azerbaijan has sufficient military power and there have been no requests from Turkey for military support to date. “However, if Azerbaijan wants [our] support, we are ready to support without hesitation. No one has a right to condemn Turkey in our support of Azerbaijan. Because as we always say we are ‘One nation, two states,’” he added.

The EU announced an allocation of emergency humanitarian aid to the entire civilian population affected by the ongoing conflict. The funding will deliver health support, medical equipment, food packages, and other urgent help to several thousand people. “The fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone has already claimed civilian lives. International humanitarian law must be respected, and the protection of civilian life and infrastructure ensured. The EU stands in solidarity with all the people affected by the violence and is ready to provide further humanitarian support, should human suffering continue. We call for an immediate end to hostilities,” said the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic. The initial funding of €500,000 will help EU humanitarian partners, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, provide immediate relief to those affected by the fighting. 

The Pakistani MFA refuted the information which were circulating in various media sources that its army was fighting alongside Azerbaijan in the conflict. 

The Armenian parliament suggested stripping Afghanistan of its status as an observer at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) over its support for Azerbaijan.