hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... the un says it's received shocking reports of violence in myanmar — well over 100 pro—democracy protestors are reported to have been killed by security forces. lockdown eases in wales — the first uk nation to lift travel restrictions within its borders. borisjohnson says england's road map out of lockdown remains on track, as it's revealed covid booster jabs may be available as early as september. work continues to refloat the giant container ship blocking egypt's suez canal. now on bbc news, late last year,

a conflict that had lain almost dormant for more than 25 years flared up again. jonah fisher gains rare access inside the disputed territory of nagorno karabakh. azerbaijan has promised to protect religious sites bbc has been given rare access to both countries. we find old hatreds stared up. and what looks like new crimes being committed. it looks today like it could have been where that church was. i hope you find your brother.

so who really won this war? the russian military has a checkpoint just down there. they call the shot round there now. and what does the future hold for people who have lived through and lost so much? this couple are azerbaijani and are on their way home. it is 28 years since the couple fled armenia's invasion with their baby. the first time, they are heading back. ali is a dad now.

their journey, fleeing and theirjourney, fleeing and then returning, is the story of azerbaijan and armenia, two neighbours, two wards, the bitterest of enemies. nagorno—karabakh is an armenian majority area inside azerbaijan's international borders. in 1992, a long—running dispute over who should control it turned into war. armenia invaded, taking over nagorno—karabakh and the surrounding

areas. 30,000 people died and a million, the vast majority of them azerbaijanis like this couple, were forced from their homes. alexander for more than two decades, alexander

they had lived as refugees in a cramped apartment hundreds of kilometres away. last september, everything changed. the second nagorno—karabakh war broke out with azerbaijan launching an attack on armenian positions. with the backing of turkey and its high—tech drones, the azerbaijanis made rapid progress. in 44 days of war, armenia lost large parts of the land it had seized in the 19905 and had to give up even more as part of a russian brokered ceasefire agreement. moscow immediately deployed nearly 2000 peacekeepers to what is left of the armenian enclave. the villagers one of the

first that azerbaijan recaptured, opening up the possibility of the return they have long teamed off. we helped arrange their permits and transport to go back. but at the cemetery there is a problem. it has been vandali5ed. graves have been dug up and looted. ra5im has to search for the pieces of his father's head stone.

0ur movement in5ide azerbaijan has to be approved by the authorities and we are always followed. we drive four hours through azerbaijani villages that the armenians looted and destroyed during the 19905. getting to the armenian settlements that azerbaijan drove people out of last year is more difficult. we are blocked from going to the two larger town5 blocked from going to the two larger towns and are eventually taken to a village that armenians call something else. a5 village that armenians call something else. as we approach, we

are told the army will not let us in because of landmines. do think the army tell you the truth when they are saying that?— army tell you the truth when they are saying that? what is the reason for us not to _ are saying that? what is the reason for us not to go _ are saying that? what is the reason for us not to go there? _ are saying that? what is the reason for us not to go there? i _ are saying that? what is the reason for us not to go there? i do - are saying that? what is the reason for us not to go there? i do not - for us not to go there? i do not know. . , .,, for us not to go there? i do not know. . , , ., know. there had been videos of the army doing — know. there had been videos of the army doing bad _ know. there had been videos of the army doing bad stuff _ know. there had been videos of the army doing bad stuff to _ know. there had been videos of the army doing bad stuff to armenian i army doing bad stuff to armenian places. maybe that is why. the videos which were posted to social media, 5how azerbaijani soldiers killing and mutilating armenians. in the end, they do letters into the village. —— let us. after a lot of pushing and phone calls, this is the first time we have gone into a village that actually meaningfully changed hands in the recent conflict, six months ago, there were armenians here in these houses. now azerbaijan i5 armenians here in these houses. now azerbaijan is very much controlling

it. this graffiti is done by the soldiers a5 it. this graffiti is done by the soldiers as they captured this village. they have even put their names up there, other names of the places where they come from. —— for the names. 0ur mind tells us his family was forced out of nagorno—karabakh during the first one. what happened to your family has now happened to lots of ethnic armenian familie5. you must understand how they feel now. do understand how they feel now. drr know the population numbers around? i'm sure it is more than a thousand. you know the number of refugees from azerbaijan? million. they came here 30 years ago. if you move to a place that does not belong to you, you have to know that there will be a time when you have to out. the next da , our time when you have to out. the next day. our mind _ time when you have to out. the next day. our mind is— time when you have to out. the next

day, our mind is nowhere _ time when you have to out. the next day, our mind is nowhere to - time when you have to out. the next day, our mind is nowhere to be - time when you have to out. the next| day, our mind is nowhere to be seen. with just a local police company, we move on. it is yet another azerbaijani town that the armenians looted and destroyed in the 19905. we have come here because we have seen this video on social media showing a man celebrating on the roof of the armenian church after the area was captured by azerbaijan last year. we do not mention video, but tell the police we would like to see the church and they take us here. it is clearly not the right place. just a little bit further on. there. yes, maybe... we will turn right and then... what does the map

say? it says it should be on top of here. it seems rather unlikely. 0k, ok, so, it looks to me like it could have been where that church was. take a look here. it was definitely here, so you can see from the trees here, so you can see from the trees here, they are very definite shape we can see from over there. they match. so we can say with some conviction that on this area here, there was an armenian church. we know it was still standing here when the azeri came in and now it has been destroyed. what happened to the church? , ., ., ,

church? during the war, it was destroyed _ church? during the war, it was destroyed. it _ church? during the war, it was destroyed. it cannot _ church? during the war, it was destroyed. it cannot have - church? during the war, it was| destroyed. it cannot have been destroyed _ destroyed. it cannot have been destroyed during _ destroyed. it cannot have been destroyed during the _ destroyed. it cannot have been destroyed during the war- destroyed. it cannot have been i destroyed during the war because there are videos of the azeris here. no, it would not have happened. they destroyed it themselves. they destroyed it themselves. azerbaijan has promised to protect religious sites so we took our findings to the authorities in baku. what has happened to that church, that chapel now? it is still standing injabrayil region of azerbaijan. can i show you something from when we went there? this was the church when they opened it in 2017. and then we went back there yesterday. you can see, it's been totally destroyed. because it is a location, i don't know, i need

to double—check it on the ground. you can see here, the tree, the tree here and this is the site which we were given for where the church, the chapel was. it has been destroyed. injabrayil, never any armenians lived. and building any religious site or changing any religious cultural character of the region is in a violation of international humanitarian law. and you have seen the level of destruction injabrayil. more than eight cities of azerbaijan have been destroyed. it is like hiroshima. in other words, he is saying that whatever has happened in recent months is nothing compared to what armenians did to azerbaijani villages in karabakh in the 19905. it is a point i put to armenia's foreign minister. perhaps you would like to apologise for what armenia did in those occupied territories?

during the war, there were, you know, wrongdoings on every sides. if there was any case, let's say it was individual actions, not a state policy. can i just say that it looks very systematic? the same happens now in the territories that fell under control of azerbaijan, particularly in the villages and cities in hadrut region of nagorno—karabakh. the final stop in karabakh for naila and ra5im is the ruins of where they once lived.

as they prepare to leave, ali is on the phone to his daughter. in armenia, the loss of karabakh is still sinking in.

this family were forced to flee during the war last year. they are looking at our footage as they are from the same village that we went to with our azerbaijani minder. home for them is now a cramped hostel on the outskirts of armenia's capital, yerevan. memories are still fresh of the day they fled. what did you manage to take with you when you left? three of their brothers fought in the war and we sit with two of them. they're still coming to terms with defeat and the loss of territory.

this is your brother? the mens' oldest brother is missing. what is his name? the family were told he had been killed but his body still hasn't been found. then, a few weeks ago, a niece thought she recognised him in a video posted to tiktok by azerbaijani soldiers. and you're sure this is brother, this is eric? armenia says more than 150 prisoners of war are still being held by azerbaijan but no—one has any specific information about eric. we leave yerevan and head south east

towards the mountains of nagorno—karabakh. defeat and the army's withdrawal has brought a crisis of national confidence. armenia was once this region's security guarantor. now russia has taken on that role. this road is the only link between armenia, the outside world and what's left of the ethnic armenian enclave in nagorno—karabakh. it is just over there, those hills there. now, since the war, the armenians have not had control over who and what uses this road. that's down to the russians. the russian military have a checkpointjust down there. they decide, they call the shots around here now. we're denied permission to enter

and are told privately that the russians are blocking almost all foreigners. it is a real pain that we have to talk like this rather than in person. that evening, we speak to a nagorno—karabakh official on a whatsapp call. has nagorno—karabakh become another one of these little states that we see in this part of the world which are occupied by russia? we drive along a road that is effectively a new international border between armenia and azerbaijan. we stop in a village and a group of azerbaijani soldiers come out to greet us.

journalist, bbc. how are you? good, thanks, and you? fine, thanks. that is a russian peacekeeperjoining us. are you allowed on the road here? this is an armenian road, no? i don't know, on the map. no? so whose road is this? there is still plenty to be thrashed out on the ground but what is clear is that the war and the deployment of peacekeepers has returned to russia to a pivotal role in the southern caucasus. and, at the same time, delivered a message to leaders in the post—soviet space who attempted to look west. russian influence has increased after this peace deal.

not only inside azerbaijan and armenia but also in other countries as well because all the other countries now have the lesson. if you have american puppet as your leader of your country, you will lose your territory. the so—called american puppet is nikol pashinyan, armenia's prime minister. he came to power in a popular uprising three years ago and has shouldered much of the blame for the loss of karabakh. there have been several months of demonstrations in yerevan against mr pashinyan.

critics say he should have maintained better relations with moscow and, given azerbaijan's alliance with turkey, made concessions to avoid war. despite all of these facts, nikol pashinyan chose to reject the peace proposals that were negotiated so, that was a huge diplomatic failure that actually brought a catastrophe to armenia, and nagorno—karabakh. russia, not armenia, is now nagorno—karabakh�*s key relationship. moscow will ultimately have to decide if it wants a long—term military presence that protects the armenian enclave. if not, azerbaijan will surely get its way and be allowed to take control.

this family's concerns are more short term. they are waiting in yerevan for news of eric. good luck. i wish you good luck, especially, i hope you find your brother. and could we toast to armenians and azerbaijanis living side—by—side, or is that too much? it is an idea which almost everyone we've spoken to for this film thinks is unrealistic right now. his mum is listening from the corner. two wars, two very different outcomes. for azerbaijan, the struggle for karabakh is over.

for armenians, it's very much alive. we all love a daffodil, don't we? but being a spring flower, they need to be prepared for big swings in weather conditions, as we will have to be this week. almost an early taste of summer as we head into the new week, with temperatures boosted, but before you get carried away, winter may have another say later on, especially into easter weekend. so what's going on? this weekend, to begin with, we started with the jet stream to the south of us, drawing in colder air, temperatures on saturday still in single figures, down where we'd normally expect for this time of year, but the jet stream's on the move to the north of us, drawing our air from the mid—atlantic and from the near continent. lots of rain to come in western scotland, that's one thing to note, but with the warmth,

we could see temperatures widely into the 205 for england and wales, high teens for eastern parts of scotland. and then, the second half of the week, the jet stream changes direction again, coming in from the north, opening the door to arctic air across the country, and by the time easter weekend starts, temperatures in single figures and, dare i say it, some could see a little bit of snow. winds at the moment coming in from the south—west, and for sunday, quite blowy in places, a touch of gale—force winds here and there. rain at times for western scotland into the afternoon, after a reasonably dry and bright start. rain at times too for northern ireland, heavy as well through the second half of the day, but the rain will ease off through northern parts of england and wales for a time, and to the south and east, a largely dry day, more cloud than saturday, but some sunny breaks, temperatures into the teens, maybe 16 or 17 along those eastern coasts. we continue that run of south—westerly winds into the evening and overnight. relentless rain for western scotland, and with these weather fronts lining up, here we could see over a month's worth of rain in the highlands. that could cause some flooding.

strong winds to go with it into monday. the rain will ease off for northern ireland, and after some early rain in northern england, it will turn drier and brighter. much more sunshine developing through england and wales, the winds coming in from the near continent, and that starts to boost the temperature. 17 or 18 in eastern scotland, into the low 205 in eastern england. but anywhere around the coast, where you're drawing the wind off the sea, the sea temperatures are still pretty low, it will feel chilly. that means southern and western coasts into tuesday. you'll notice the weather front still there in the north—west highlands and islands of scotland. the rain continues here but most other parts will be dry during tuesday, and temperatures will peak across england and wales, widely into the 205, maybe 23, 2a, if not a bit higher towards the south—east corner, cooler around the coasts, still the mid—teens in eastern parts of scotland. here, it'll turn much colder through tuesday night into wednesday. a weather front is on the move southwards as high pressure builds in from the north. so a colder day for scotland and northern ireland, outbreaks of rain pushing into northern england during the afternoon. temperatures will drop here in the day. furthersouth, maybe not as warm as tuesday, but still feeling quite pleasant out there in the sunshine.

temperatures still potentially in the low 205 for some in the far south. but even here, we'll see that cooler air push in. high pressure continues to extend its influence, the weakening cold front moves its way to the south, clearing away from southern counties on thursday morning, taking any showers with it. a few showers in northern scotland, maybe one or two to north—east coasts, but most places will be dry and bright. best of the sunshine in the west. note the temperatures — not the 205. lucky to get into double figures for some. now, we continue to run a feed of showers in eastern areas through into easter weekend. high pressure moving its way westwards, opening the door increasingly to arctic air, so it turns colder through easter weekend. it could be quite windy at times too. a level of wintry showers. the risk of snow depends just how much influence that high pressure has,

but certainly something to note.

wales becomes the first uk nation to lift travel restrictions within its borders. the country is still shut to visitors but welsh residents today made the most of their newfound freedom. the kids love being out here — ice cream and chips. it feels amazing, being out with our family. also in the programme tonight... scotland's first minister nicola sturgeon says there are "significant questions" over her predecessor, alex salmond's plans to return to public office. 0n the deadliest day since last month's military takeover in myanmar, dozens of people are reported to have been killed. and 300 ships are now stuck either side of the giant container ship that's still blocking one of the world's busiest waterways.