Azerbaijani Armed Forces
As part of the ceasefire agreement 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Armenian forces agreed to relinquish control of areas of the Republic of Artsakh that fell outside of the borders of the old Soviet Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Scorched-earth offensive tactic used by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces enabled quick advances in the populated areas. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces used scorched-earth tactics to advance and gain control over large forested and populated areas using incendiary weapons (possibly, white phosphorus). The incendiary attacks inflicted extensive damage to nature and destroyed objects essential for the survival of the villages (i.e., livestock, wood for the winter, water sources, etc.) in the vicinity of the affected areas. Some villages (e.g., Aknaghbyur) were the object of direct incendiary attacks or arson. This led to a mass exodus of combatants and civilian population from villages facing violent takeover of the approaching Azerbaijani Armed Forces, as both military and civilian casualties of the incendiary attacks made holding positions unsustainable. This offensive tactic effectively allowed the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to progress rapidly and seize control of large populated areas of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) region.