634,509 views
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh as it is known in Armenia, a territory in Azerbaijan populated mainly by Armenians. Armenia won, and Azerbaijan lost control of Karabakh and neighboring territories. The victory was a source of national pride in Armenia and made it less accommodating in negotiations with Azerbaijan and Turkey, which supported it. Negotiations on the status of Karabakh and the captured regions of Azerbaijan had been ongoing since the late 1990s, but they failed every time - recognizing even part of the captured lands as Azerbaijani was extremely risky for any Armenian politician. In addition, Armenia counted on Russia's support. In 2020, the Second Karabakh War occurred. This time, Azerbaijan, with strong support from Turkey, won, Armenia lost control over most of Karabakh, and the rest of the territory is under blockade. The Lachin corridor connecting Karabakh with Armenia has been closed, more than one hundred thousand residents have been cut off from the outside world, and food and medicine have stopped flowing into the region. The citizens of Armenia are experiencing the defeat very hard - many families have been killed and wounded, many people are connected to Artsakh, and the dominant national idea of the last thirty years has been attacked. Russia did not come to the aid of Armenia in the war. But even now, many residents of Armenia who are thirsty for revenge still hope for help from Russia. How Armenia experiences the defeat is the subject of the film "Broken Country" by Yulia Vishnevetskaya and Renato Serrano in the documentary project "Signs of Life". ****************** The opinions of the authors and heroes of the programs may not coincide with the opinion of the editors.