More than 4,000 people remain missing in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan's State Commission has registered 4,010 people as missing as a result of what it describes as Armenia's military aggression against the country, according to figures released on June 30.

The updated statistics were announced by Deputy Chief of the State Security Service Lt. Gen. Sharafat Hasanov during the international conference, "Modern approaches to resolving the issue of missing persons and strengthening cooperation," held in cooperation with the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

He said 4,004 people disappeared during the First Karabakh War, while six went missing during the 44-day Second Karabakh War in 2020.

"Of the 4,010 missing persons, 3,228 are military personnel and 782 are civilians. Among the civilians are 71 minors, 288 women, and 319 elderly people," Sharafat Hasanov said.

He said Azerbaijan has been collecting biological samples from the close relatives of missing persons since 2014. Authorities have been conducting extensive searches, excavations, exhumations, and identification efforts. According to the latest figures, the remains of 893 missing persons have been discovered.

Hasanov said authorities have also uncovered 32 mass graves in the liberated territories since excavation work began. 

"As of June 30, 2026, forensic molecular genetic examinations had identified the remains of 327 people who went missing during the First Karabakh War. Authorities have publicly confirmed the identities of 226 of those individuals and returned their remains to their families for burial in accordance with national laws and religious traditions," Sharafat Hasanov said.