People in Nagorno-Karabakh woke up to the sound of explosions this morning, as Azerbaijan’s military operation against Armenian separatists in the disputed region entered a second day. At least 32 people have been killed and around 200 people wounded, according to reports, with Azerbaijan saying it will not stop until the separatists “lay down their arms”. It has been three years since the last war over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region that is recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan but populated by around 150,000 ethnic Armenians. Armenian officials have accused Azerbaijan of engaging in “ethnic cleansing”. The 2020 war ended in a Russian-brokered deal – but Moscow, distracted by its invasion of Ukraine, failed to stop violence erupting again.