In the aftermath of the capitulation of ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a number of protesters were detained in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Sept. 22, RF/ERL’s Armenian service reported.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has come under fire for the lack of support Armenian authorities provided for the ethnic Armenian forces of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Azerbaijani military conducted a lightning day-long offensive that ended with a ceasefire on Sept. 20. Under the terms of the new ceasefire, the Nagorno-Karabakh military formations are to be disarmed and disbanded.
Francis Farrell
The armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh have begun to hand over weapons, ammunition, and armored vehicles, Russian state-controlled media reported on Sept. 22, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense.
During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, the regular Armenian military had come to the aid of the Nagorno-Karabakh defense forces, but Pashinyan claimed that they were not present in the territory during this latest episode of fighting.
Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 war sparked anti-government protests against Pashinyan, a sentiment that is currently being repeated by protesters in Yerevan and other Armenian cities.
One of the protest organizers, former opposition leader Adranik Tevanyan, pledged to continue the demonstrations until Pashinyan is removed from office.
Protesters primarily directed their ire towards Pashinyan, but videos circulating on social media and in reporting by Newsweek also showed anti-Russian slogans and statements being shouted.
Russian so-called “peacekeepers” have been stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh since the end of the second war in November 2020, but they failed to prevent this most recent outbreak of violence.
Around 120,000 ethnic Armenians live in Nagorno-Karabakh, and although Baku has discussed plans for their reintegration into Azerbaijan, many are concerned about what their future may look like outside of Armenian control.
Pashinyan emphasized that Yerevan is ready to accept displaced Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh but also asserted he was hopeful they could remain there.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
