The armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh in September-November 2020 is a large-scale high-intensity conflict between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the armed formations of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) , which has become the largest, longest and most bloody in the region since the end of the Karabakh war in 1994 year. As of mid-October, the most intense hostilities were fought in the Hadrut-Jebrail direction, in the Araks River valley, which serves as a natural border between Azerbaijan and Iran.
The offensive of the Azerbaijani troops with a large-scale use of aviation, armored vehicles, artillery, and shock UAVs began on the morning of September 27. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, this is a counter-offensive operation launched in response to the shelling of several Azerbaijani settlements by the Armenian side .
Both sides report numerous casualties among the military and civilians. Martial law and general mobilization were declared in Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Martial law was also declared throughout Azerbaijan, and a curfew was introduced in a number of regions. On September 28, Armenia banned all men of the mobilization reserve over 18 from leaving the country, and Azerbaijan announced a partial mobilization.
Turkey provides political and military support to Azerbaijan, providing it with military equipment, advisers and instructors . According to a number of sources, with the assistance of Turkey, Syrian mercenaries from the pro-Turkish armed formations were sent to Karabakh immediately before the start of hostilities . As the BBC notes, although formally Armenia does not participate in the war, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, at least militarily, actually form one whole . On the side of the NKR, the participation of volunteers from Lebanon, Syria and Latin American countries was also recorded
EP The story Republic of Artsakh
The autochthonous population of the modern region of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was various tribes of predominantly non-Indo-European origin. Different opinions are expressed regarding the dating of the Armenization of the region, but most researchers agree that this process was completed before the first partition of Armenia in 387.
From the beginning of the II century BC. e. before the partition of Armenia, the territory of modern Nagorno-Karabakh (Orkhisten by ancient authors) was part of Great Armenia. In the "Armenian Geography" of Anania Shirakatsi (7th century) Artsakh is listed as its 10th province (nakhang).
In 387, the Kuro-Arak interfluve (Artsakh and Utik regions) became a vassal of Persia, Caucasian Albania, while remaining under the control of the Armenian princely families and retaining a strong Armenian influence. The multi-ethnic Albanian kingdom was destroyed by the Arabs in 705.
In 822, the independent Armenian principality of Khachen was proclaimed in Artsakh. In 884, the rulers of Khachen recognized the power of Ashot I Bagratuni, who declared the independence of Armenia and proclaimed himself the king of Armenia.
After the loss of the centralized Armenian statehood in 1045, the Khachen principality for many centuries remained one of those areas where Armenian rule was preserved.
In the late Middle Ages, sources begin to mention the Turkic nomads who appeared on the plain between Araks and Kura, mixed with the sedentary Armenian and Muslim populations and gave it the name "Karabakh". Nomads (Turkic, then Kurdish) hibernated on the plains, and in the summer roamed to the pastures of the uplands; this order was maintained until the 20th century. Azerbaijani nomads in Nagorno-Karabakh are recorded in the censuses of 1593 and 1727 during short periods of Ottoman rule. Kurdish tribes were resettled by the Persian authorities to the area located between Nagorno-Karabakh and Zangezur around 1600 in order to weaken the ties of the Armenian rulers of Nagorno-Karabakh with the main Armenian territories
