Tens of thousands of people have fled Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia after Azerbaijan launched an offensive to take back full control of the breakaway region.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan's borders but for decades has operated autonomously with a de facto government of its own.

The short offensive ended in a Russia-brokered ceasefire in which separatist Armenian fighters agreed to surrender and lay down their arms. Azerbaijan says Karabakh Armenians can remain in the region if they accept Azerbaijani citizenship, but many people have preferred to leave their homes.

The landlocked mountainous region is home to 120,000 ethnic Armenians who make up the majority of the population.

Azerbaijan says it will guarantee the rights of those living in the region. But Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and international experts have repeatedly warned of the risk of ethnic cleansing.

The self-declared republic will cease to exist from next year after its president, Samvel Shahramanyan, signed a decree dissolving state institutions.

Sergey Astsetryan, an ethnic Armenian resident of Nagorno-Karabakh, shows his belongings as Azerbaijani border guards check his vehicle at military checkpoint on the Lachin corridor on October 1.
Sergey Astsetryan, an ethnic Armenian resident of Nagorno-Karabakh, shows his belongings as Azerbaijani border guards check his vehicle at military checkpoint on the Lachin corridor on October 1.
Aziz Karimov/AP
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris, Armenia, on September 30.
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris, Armenia, on September 30.
Diego Herrera Carcedo/AFP/Getty Images
People from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris town center on September 30.
People from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris town center on September 30.
Diego Herrera Carcedo/AFP/Getty Images
An aerial view of the tent camp for ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 29.
An aerial view of the tent camp for ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 29.
AP
Paramedics and employees transport a sick Nagorno-Karabakh woman from Goris to the Erebuni Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, on September 29.
Paramedics and employees transport a sick Nagorno-Karabakh woman from Goris to the Erebuni Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, on September 29.
Hayk Baghdasaryan/Photolure/AP
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh drive to Goris on September 28.
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh drive to Goris on September 28.
Vahan Stepanyan/PAN Photo/AP
Volunteers distribute food to ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 28.
Volunteers distribute food to ethnic Armenians arriving in Goris from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 28.
Vasily Krestyaninov/AP
People in the back of a truck after crossing the border near Kornidzor on September 28.
People in the back of a truck after crossing the border near Kornidzor on September 28.
Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
People help move a broken-down car near Kornidzor on September 28.
People help move a broken-down car near Kornidzor on September 28.
Anatoly Matlsev/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
People fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh sit on the back of a truck near Kornidzor on September 28.
People fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh sit on the back of a truck near Kornidzor on September 28.
Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
A woman cries after crossing the border near Kornidzor on September 27.
A woman cries after crossing the border near Kornidzor on September 27.
Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
People from Nagorno-Karabakh board a bus near a Red Cross registration center in Goris, Armenia, on September 27.
People from Nagorno-Karabakh board a bus near a Red Cross registration center in Goris, Armenia, on September 27.
Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
David Harapetyan, an ethnic Armenian and taxi driver who came to Kornidzor from Russia to provide assistance, hands food and water to people from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27.
David Harapetyan, an ethnic Armenian and taxi driver who came to Kornidzor from Russia to provide assistance, hands food and water to people from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27.
Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters
Greta and Marieta wait to reunite with relatives after arriving in Goris on September 27.
Greta and Marieta wait to reunite with relatives after arriving in Goris on September 27.
Anthony Pizzoferrato/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
This satellite image shows a traffic jam along the Lachin corridor as ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh on September 26. The Lachin corridor is the one road connecting the landlocked enclave to Armenia. The road was only recently opened to allow residents to flee.
This satellite image shows a traffic jam along the Lachin corridor as ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh on September 26. The Lachin corridor is the one road connecting the landlocked enclave to Armenia. The road was only recently opened to allow residents to flee.
Maxar Technologies
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh walk along the road leading to Kornidzor, where a humanitarian hub has been created, on September 26.
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh walk along the road leading to Kornidzor, where a humanitarian hub has been created, on September 26.
Vasily Krestyaninov/AP
Azerbaijani soldiers conduct traffic as cars line up to leave for Armenia on September 26.
Azerbaijani soldiers conduct traffic as cars line up to leave for Armenia on September 26.
Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Former Nagorno-Karabakh residents at a hotel room in Goris after crossing the Armenian border on September 26.
Former Nagorno-Karabakh residents at a hotel room in Goris after crossing the Armenian border on September 26.
Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris on September 26.
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh line up to receive humanitarian aid at a temporary camp in Goris on September 26.
Vasily Krestyaninov/AP
A girl from Nagorno-Karabakh looks out from a car while traveling to Armenia on September 26.
A girl from Nagorno-Karabakh looks out from a car while traveling to Armenia on September 26.
Vasily Krestyaninov/AP
Samantha Power, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development, speaks to the press after visiting the humanitarian hub in Kornidzor on September 26. Power said many of those who had arrived <a target="_blank">were suffering from "severe malnutrition,"</a> according to doctors at the scene. "It is absolutely critical that independent monitors as well as humanitarian organizations get access to the people in Nagorno-Karabakh who still have dire needs," she said.
Samantha Power, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development, speaks to the press after visiting the humanitarian hub in Kornidzor on September 26. Power said many of those who had arrived were suffering from "severe malnutrition," according to doctors at the scene. "It is absolutely critical that independent monitors as well as humanitarian organizations get access to the people in Nagorno-Karabakh who still have dire needs," she said.
Astrig Agopian/Getty Images
Volunteers in Kornidzor give apples to people from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 26.
Volunteers in Kornidzor give apples to people from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 26.
Astrig Agopian/Getty Images
Karine Djagaryan, who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, hugs her father, Novlet, as they meet in Kornidzor on September 26.
Karine Djagaryan, who fled Nagorno-Karabakh, hugs her father, Novlet, as they meet in Kornidzor on September 26.
Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Kornidzor on September 26.
Ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh arrive in Kornidzor on September 26.
Astrig Agopian/Getty Images
Vehicles carrying people leaving Nagorno-Karabakh queue on the road leading towards the Armenian border September 25.
Vehicles carrying people leaving Nagorno-Karabakh queue on the road leading towards the Armenian border September 25.
David Ghahramanyan/Reuters
A family arrives at the Red Cross humanitarian hub set up in Kornidzor on September 25.
A family arrives at the Red Cross humanitarian hub set up in Kornidzor on September 25.
Astrig Agopian/Getty Images
People who fled Nagorno-Karabakh sit on a bus after registering at the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs near the border town of Kornidzor on September 24.
People who fled Nagorno-Karabakh sit on a bus after registering at the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs near the border town of Kornidzor on September 24.
Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images