Actually, it's a bit more complex than that
For the people on the ground it's not.
Actually, it's a bit more complex than that
Most countries have minorities of an adjacent country, just look at europe. It was stupid for Armenia not do negotiate earlier, autonomy, higher % of armenian held ministries in azerbejan, there are plenty of things you can negotiate.
Russia will have given Turkey and Azerbaijan their red lines. N-K will be taken, but Armenia proper will remain untouched. This improves relations with a richer Azerbaijan and harms Armenian relations, but Armenia is so dependant on Russia for protection that they will be forced to grin and bear it. Plus Russia is getting pissed at Armenia for refusing any negotiations regarding the area which is legally Azerbaijan, so they will sit back and let it happen: "We told you to talk, now this is what you get."
which will become a major problem for the Armenians as soon as the attrition starts to hurt
I get what everyone is saying, how Armenia should have negotiated, been more gracious towards Russia, sure. I just want to point out if it weren't for larger Christian countries protecting Armenia, then Turkey, Israel, and Azerbaijan would get together and exterminate every single person in Armenia proper as well as Nagorno-Karabakh. After all, they're running short on potential victims after decimating the Christian populations of Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Egypt, Turkey, etc. (I view America's anti Christian actions in these regions as a result of Israeli influence).
https://infogalactic.com/info/Armenian_Genocide#cite_note-23The genocide was carried out during and after World War I and implemented in two phases: the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced labour, followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and the infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.[15][16][17] Other indigenous and Christian ethnic groups such as the Assyrians and the Ottoman Greeks were similarly targeted for extermination by the Ottoman government in the Assyrian genocide and the Greek genocide, and their treatment is considered by some historians to be part of the same genocidal policy.[18][19] Most Armenian diaspora communities around the world came into being as a direct result of the genocide.[20]
Major General Otto von Lossow, acting military attaché and head of the German Military Plenipotentiary in the Ottoman Empire, spoke to Ottoman intentions in a conference held in Batum in 1918:
The Turks have embarked upon the "total extermination of the Armenians in Transcaucasia ... The aim of Turkish policy is, as I have reiterated, the taking of possession of Armenian districts and the extermination of the Armenians. Talaat's government wants to destroy all Armenians, not just in Turkey, but also outside Turkey. On the basis of all the reports and news coming to me here in Tiflis there hardly can be any doubt that the Turks systematically are aiming at the extermination of the few hundred thousand Armenians whom they left alive until now.[51]:349
Rape was an integral part of the genocide;[92] military commanders told their men to "do to [the women] whatever you wish", resulting in widespread sexual abuse. Deportees were displayed naked in Damascus and sold as sex slaves in some areas, including Mosul according to the report of the German consul there, constituting an important source of income for accompanying soldiers.[93] Dr. Walter Rössler, the German consul in Aleppo during the genocide, heard from an "objective" Armenian that around a quarter of young women, whose appearance was "more or less pleasing", were regularly raped by the gendarmes, and that "even more beautiful ones" were violated by 10–15 men. This resulted in girls and women being left behind dying.[94]
I can understand why this topic isn't talked about in the mainstream media (and why they are feigning "objectiveness"), but I can't believe it sunk so low on this forum. If there ever was a fight between good and evil, orcs vs evil, it's happening right now in front of our eyes and the only thing we're doing is sitting on our asses and minding our own business while 18 centuries old Christian churches are being desecrated and shelled.
If modern wars were fought by manpower and heroism instead of just soulless technology, I would have already volunteered to defend the Armenians, their towns and their villages. The least we can do is spread awareness about the conflict.
A quick breakdown:
Nagorno Karabagh was an ethnic enclave of Armenians (why was it an enclave? because of several genocides against Armenians) who lived there in continuity for at least the last 3000 years. It is full of world heritage sites with examples of some of the oldest churches on this planet. Now, why would a territory which was ethnically, historically and in every possible way Armenian end up in the newly invented nation of Azerbaijan? Why of course, because no one other than STALIN gave it to them, since redrawing borders was his favorite pastime. It retained its autonomous status within Azerbaijan before a war broke out after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The root cause for the war was the pogrom that Azerbaijanis (shia muslim Turks) conducted against Armenians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumgait_pogrom
This might sound familiar, because their big brother, sunni muslim Turks, who are also the main instigator of this conflict, killed off 40% of the Armenian population in the first genocide of the 20th century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide
Stories about Turko-muslim genocides against Armenians in the area do not end here though, because by looking at the map you might notice the Nakichevan exclave of Azerbaijan, nestled right between Armenia and Turkey. That historic part of Armenia, too, had 40% of Armenian population before Azerbaijan reduced it to 0%, after a lengthy process of razing centuries old Christian churches and even cemeteries. The exact plan they have in mind for Nagorno Karabagh
After defending itself from yet another wave of genocidal attempts and successfully winning the war against Azerbaijan in 1992., Armenia secured a territorial corridor to the enclave of Nagorno Karbagh by occupying adjacent regions which were de jure a part of Azerbaijan and weren't previously included in the Armenian autonomous enclave of Nagorno Karabagh. That was a necessary move, as it was obviously vital for the safety of Armenia. The former de jure Azerbaijan lands nestled between Nagorno Karabagh and Armenia proper were also shamelessly stolen from another ethnic group, as they were known as Red Kurdistan during the early Soviet days https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistansky_Uyezd
Today, all those territories form the unrecognized Armenian republic of Artsakh, which should be internationally recognized to protect the Armenians living there and stop the bloodshed. Azerbaijan, backed by Erdogan's Turkey with neo-Ottoman ambitions, attacked Artsakh with only one goal - to ethnically cleanse the Armenians from there and grab their land. There will be no more self-autonomy or any other half-deals, this is a literal fight for survival. The Armenians will either defend Artsakh or they won't be there.
Yes, things are escalating and turning ugly. This could become a significant religious war and the catalyst for a much greater conflict.Hostilities have broken out in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan seem to be gearing up for serious conflict. If Azerbaijan presses on with its current offensive it will involve several regional keyplayers, most notably Iran, Russia, Turkey and Israel
The males were killed. And the women and girls were either raped and left to die or sold into slavery.
As of this morning, the islamic army under the regime of dictator Aliyev has taken Fuzuli and thus broken the strongest line of Armenian defence in the south. They're literally massacring them with drones, Armenians are unfortunately very ill-equipped against these flying pests. This must be a huge blow to the Armenian morale. The neo-Ottoman hordes are advancing northward towards Shushi and Stepankert. If they encircle them, the war is lost, although it is de-facto already unbearable for the Armenians because Artsakh has a population of mere 150 thousand people and there are already well over a few thousand dead Armenians, mostly locals, literally a visible percentage of their population. Putin, a hypocritical machiavellian whore that he is, doesn't care about the slaughter of Christians and the loss of their historic lands and the West, as expected, is still sitting on its ass and ignoring everything. The way things are going right now, Artsakh is going to fall long before anyone recognizes it and ends the conflict.
Over here you can see a video of life in the Armenian trenches on the northern front. Don't take my word for it because I'm not absolutely certain, but there were some drone attacks in this region as well so it's quite likely that these people from the video are now dead. Pay attention to how most of the soldiers are literally 50+ year old grandpas, locals defending their homes.
Unfortunately, it is obvious that they are not professional soldiers but just ordinary people defending their homes. They have no cover against the drones which is why they are getting slaughtered left and right.