Monument to Ivan Aivazovsky in Stepanakert Demolished

STEPANAKERT — According to the Artsakh Tourism and Cultural Development Agency, the monument to marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Aivazyan) in Stepanakert—now referred to as Khankendi by Azerbaijan following its takeover—has been dismantled.

“Today, we regretfully announce that the monument to Aivazovsky, erected in Stepanakert in 2021, was destroyed by the Azerbaijani occupation administration after the entire population of Artsakh was forcibly expelled from their homeland in 2023,” the agency stated. “The monument, created by renowned Russian sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov, was dedicated not only to the world-famous Armenian artist but also to the cultural ties connecting Artsakh with Armenian and national heritage.”

According to the agency, the demolition took place on July 29—Aivazovsky’s birthday. The agency accuses Baku of systematically eliminating the Armenian cultural presence in Karabakh.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani media reports referred to the monument as “illegal.” Minval reported that “it was installed in December 2021 as part of the ‘Alley of Russian Glory’ project by separatists and the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh.”

In 2021, alongside the Aivazovsky monument, busts of Alexander Nevsky, Mikhail Lermontov, Gavriil Derzhavin, Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Karamzin, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, and other prominent Russian figures also appeared in Artsakh, as well as a statue of a Russian peacekeeper. The “Alley of Russian Glory” project was spearheaded by entrepreneur Mikhail Serdyukov.

Russia has condemned the vandalization of the monument. “The destruction of the monument to marine painter Hovhannes Aivazovsky in Nagorno-Karabakh is an unfriendly act toward Russia and has caused deep indignation”, Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Russian President’s Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation, told TASS.

He emphasized that Moscow had not been informed of any plans to dismantle the monument and expressed confidence that, had it been notified, the issue could have been resolved in a civilized manner.

The destruction of the Aivazovsky monument—which was erected in Artsakh in 2021 with the participation of Russian peacekeepers—was also addressed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who shared images of Aivazovsky’s paintings on social media.