BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 30. 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, 2026, Trend's correspondent
reports from the event.


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).


Hasanov 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.


Hasanov said Azerbaijan has been collecting biological samples
from the close relatives of missing persons since 2014, under a
2008 framework agreement between the State Commission and the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on the collection
and centralized management of ante-mortem data.


Since 2023, the collection of biological samples has been
carried out by the Genetics Department of the State Security
Service's Main Military Medical Directorate, established by
presidential order.


As of June 30, 2026, authorities had collected and cataloged
biological samples from 11,542 donors related to missing
Azerbaijani citizens. DNA profiles extracted from those samples are
being archived by the Genetic Research Center of the State Security
Service's Main Military Medical Directorate.


Hasanov said Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territories
remained under occupation for nearly 30 years, preventing
authorities from determining the fate of many missing citizens.


Following the 2020 war and the 2023 anti-terrorism measures, he
said locating the graves of missing persons, carrying out
excavations and exhumations, and identifying human remains became
key priorities assigned by President Ilham Aliyev to the State
Commission.







Since February 2021, authorities have conducted extensive
searches, excavations, exhumations, and identification efforts in
the territories regained by Azerbaijan.


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. The remains
of 253 individuals were exhumed from those sites with the
participation of investigative authorities.


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.
Those buried include 181 military personnel and 45 civilians. Among
the identified civilians are 14 women and two minors.


Hasanov also said the remains of several additional identified
missing persons will be returned to their families in the coming
days.


He emphasized the role of the International Commission on
Missing Persons (ICMP) in supporting search and identification
efforts and expressed hope that continued cooperation with the
organization would help clarify the fate of Azerbaijan's remaining
missing citizens.