The Year 

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military operation in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (the Republic of Artsakh). The goal of this operation was to establish control over the territory of the republic and to annex it to Azerbaijan. Artsakh did not have the resources to resist Azerbaijan in this conflict. The physically and morally exhausted population, lacking sufficient support for the army, faced a powerful military force that had been preparing for this operation for months. The result was capitulation, which occurred just one day after the fighting began.In the days that followed, more than 100,000 Armenians left their homes, fearing ethnic cleansing by Azerbaijan, which had taken control of the republic.

Millions of people around the world watched this dramatic week unfold. But this tragedy began long before the gunfire, explosions, deaths, and the exodus of Armenians from Artsakh.

On December 12, 2022, one of the main roads connecting Artsakh with Armenia — the Lachin Corridor — was blocked from the Azerbaijani side. Artsakh found itself under blockade.This led to increased tension within Armenia. 

Still not fully recovered from the 2020 war and strained after the shelling of Jermuk in September 2022, the country suddenly found itself in a difficult situation. The escalation on the border exerted external pressure on society. At the same time, political and protest activity was intensifying in the capital, dividing the public due to differing political views and various proposed solutions to the problems.

Tatyana Ohanesyan, chair of the VIVA charitable foundation, at a rally near the UN building in Yerevan. Doctors joined the rally, demanding immediate access to food, medicine, and medical assistance in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. December 15, 2022. 

Children from Artsakh paint decorations for the New Year tree at a workshop organized by a charitable foundation. Because of the blockade of Artsakh, 28 children were unable to return home to their families. December 23, 2022.  

108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire: participants of the torchlight procession against the backdrop of burning Turkish and Azerbaijani flags, April 23, 2022.  

March participants carry the Artsakh flag. April 23, 2023

Participants of the procession around the eternal flame at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex. They are holding the flags of the countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide. April 23, 2022.  

On this day, something happened that would resonate as a dramatic event in Armenian history. On the Lachin Corridor, at the Akari Bridge, an Azerbaijani border checkpoint was established. This was in complete violation of the trilateral agreement of November 9, 2020. The Russian Federation was the guarantor of the agreement’s implementation. However, it was unable to prevent the establishment of the checkpoint, just as it had been unable to prevent the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.  

Peaceful demonstration in support of Artsakh in Yerevan. Parallel demonstration was held in Stepanakert, capital of Artsakh. Both events were connected by live broadcast. From the Square of Freedom demonstrators moved to the Yerablur military pantheon. Additionally, the protesters announced ongoing rallies and road blockages. From that time, active protests began in Yerevan.  July, 2023

A man on the bridge shouts slogans in support of the protesters. July, 2022.  

Participants of the “Khachakirner” (Crusaders) group, veterans of the Karabakh wars, and their supporters gathered for a rally near the government building to demand that the authorities take action to unblock the Lachin Corridor. That day, there were clashes with the police, and 14 people were detained. By evening, the participants went to the Yerablur Military Pantheon to honor the memory of fallen soldiers. From there, they planned to go to the border to open the road themselves. However, the next day the road to the border was blocked by the police. None of the participants reached the border. August 2022  

Participants of the rally near the government building. August, 2023.

A participant of the National Democratic Pole (Bever) rally holds a crossed-out portrait of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Bever held their rallies very intensively and had announced a major rally at the end of August 2023. However, it never took place. Few people showed up, the protesters did not engage in conflict with the police, and returned to Freedom Square, from where they had begun their march. Most of Bevor’s rallies are accompanied by the musical piece O Fortuna, played through speakers mounted on a pickup truck. August 2023.  

The vehicle from which music was broadcast during the rallies. Similar vehicles also drove around the city during the day, encouraging Yerevan residents to participate in the protests.  

A protester near the Embassy of the Russian Federation holds the flag of Artsakh. On August 28, three students from Artsakh were detained by Azerbaijani border guards near the Akari Bridge, where a checkpoint had been set up. The rally at the Russian Embassy was held because the students were traveling from Artsakh to Armenia under the escort of Russian peacekeepers.  

This was not the first case of Azerbaijani border guards detaining residents of Artsakh. On July 29, Vagif Khachatryan was detained at the same checkpoint. He was traveling to Armenia for surgery, accompanied by the ICRC. August, 2023

The protesters marched in a column through the city and, following tradition, ended at the government building.

On September 7, Azerbaijan returned the kidnapped students. This took place at the same Akari Bridge.

On November 7, a court in Baku, Azerbaijan, sentenced Vagif Khachatryan to 15 years in prison.

Rally in support of Artsakh on the day of its independence celebration. On this day, more than 10,000 people visited the square. Freedom Square, Yerevan. September 2, 2023.

A sit-in strike in front of the government building. Several months ago, news emerged in the media that the Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia spat in the face of a citizen who called him a traitor. The man lying down held a piece of paper with the text, “A. Simonyan spat not at one, but at all citizens of Armenia”. September, 2023  

Yerevan

September 19

From the first day of the new conflict, protests engulfed Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The focal point of all the protests was Republic Square, where the Government building is located. Initially, these were spontaneous gatherings of people. Enduring stress from the new war and worrying about relatives and friends in the territory of Artsakh, people found solace in expressing their emotions in the square. Opposition political leaders and movements quickly joined them. A stage for speakers was set up in the square every evening, protest leaders emerged, and the actions of the protesters became coordinated and deliberate. Within a day, the protests transitioned from spontaneous gatherings in front of the building to marches, road blockades, and clashes with the police. Gradually, the sentiment of the protesters shifted from “for Artsakh” to “against the government” more strongly. 

The protests quickly spread across the entire city. Columns of people with different political views moved from square to square. Vehicle traffic in the city center came to a complete halt. Students skipped classes and joined the protesters.  

Clashes with the police began on the very first day. The fiercest occurred at Republic Square, near the government building. Protesters threw stones, bottles, and anything they could get their hands on at the police. The police responded with flash grenades, surrounded people, and made arrests. During attacks on the police, their shields would suddenly open, and a column of officers would rush out, seize the most aggressive individuals, and drag them back behind the shields.

During the day, protesters did not clash with the police. Daytime activities included marches, engaging with passersby, talking in the shade, and standing watch at Republic Square.  

At night, however, clashes began. From sunset and as long as they had the strength, people fought the police not only with words but also with action.  

Traces of the protests in the city: overturned trash bins, benches used to block traffic, banners, and broken windows in the government building.  

A humanitarian aid collection point set up in the city center at the intersection of two streets. The collection took place in parallel with the protest actions. September 2023.  

From the very first days of the armed conflict, alongside the protests, charitable organizations and foundations began their work. Volunteers collected and sent humanitarian aid to the refugees, whose arrival was expected any day. It was not yet clear how the reception and assistance for such a large number of people would be organized. But it was evident that for most of them, their first stop in Armenia would be the city of Goris.  

Volunteers from the Armenia Food Bank collect humanitarian aid. The Armenia Food Bank is the first charitable food organization in Armenia, which gathers food and essential items and distributes them to those in need. The organization has been operating since 2020. September 2023.  

Volunteers load a vehicle with humanitarian aid. September 2023.  

Bags filled with clothing collected for the refugees. The label on the bag reads: “women’s, warm.” September 2023.  

Humanitarian aid, hygiene supplies, and medicines collected at the warehouse of the VIVA charitable foundation. From the very first day, the VIVA foundation prepared to provide medical and social assistance to the refugees. With extensive experience in this kind of work, the foundation worked around the clock to prepare for the difficult days of heavy labor ahead. Volunteers helped in the warehouse, drivers delivered humanitarian aid to Goris, and the foundation’s leadership instructed doctors and volunteers on how to work with the refugees. September 2023.  

Loading one of the vehicles near the VIVA foundation’s warehouse. In addition to aid for the refugees, the foundation’s doctors needed tables, chairs, and everything necessary to help them set up patient reception areas. All of this was also sent by volunteers from Yerevan. September 2023.  

The road to Goris. View from the window of a vehicle carrying humanitarian aid from the VIVA foundation. After the first news that refugees had begun crossing the border and arriving in Goris, numerous charitable foundations, volunteers, and simply people wishing to help headed to the city. September 2023.  

The city center of Goris. Goris is a city in the east of Syunik Province. It is the first major city on the route from Artsakh where it was possible to organize the reception of refugees. The population of Goris is about 20,000 people. In the following days, the city had to receive more than 100,000 refugees. September 2023.  

The first refugees leave the distribution center in the city of Goris. A distribution center for people arriving from Artsakh was set up in the Dramatic Theater in the city center. Inside, the ICRC and the VIVA charitable foundation provided medical and social assistance to the refugees. The column of vehicles, stretching for tens of kilometers, ended at this very location. The flow of people was unending, so doctors and volunteers worked around the clock for several days. September 2023.  

Refugees arriving in the bed of a truck collect their belongings and head to the distribution center. The journey from Artsakh to Armenia proved to be another ordeal for those fleeing the war. A massive traffic jam had formed in front of the checkpoint established by Azerbaijan. People made arrangements among themselves, and several families would travel in one vehicle. The truck beds were always full of people and belongings. Many were injured, and many were exhausted from hunger. A man arriving in one of the trucks reported that he had spent three days in such conditions. September 2023.  

Belongings and a vehicle loaded onto a tow truck to be taken out of Artsakh. The arriving vehicles were packed with belongings. Items were tied to the roofs, trunks, and hoods of cars. People tried to take as much as possible with them. As many admitted, they did this because they did not believe they would be able to return home. September 2023.  

Unloading belongings in front of the distribution center for refugees. From time to time, trucks would back up to the entrance, from which collected humanitarian aid was unloaded. Occasionally, cars and small buses would arrive at the entrance. People who had difficulty moving — elderly individuals or those who were injured — would get out of them. September 2023.  

A man entertains a child in front of the refugee reception center. Adults tried to create a positive atmosphere for the children. Volunteers distributed sweets, and relatives entertained the kids. It was not uncommon to see someone comforting a crying person on one side of a bench, while on the other side, a child was being made to laugh. September 2023.  

Yeghipatrush — a village in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia.  

A man, a refugee from Artsakh, smokes in his living room. December 2023.  

On the outskirts of this village, in a small house, lives a family of refugees from Artsakh. They moved to this village at the end of September. Everything in the house is very modest. In the middle of the large, empty room stands a table. In the corner is a stove. The woman quickly placed several cups on the table and made coffee for all the guests. The man lit a cigarette and told the harrowing story of how his family escaped from Artsakh, how they searched for a new home, and how neighbors helped them once they arrived. It was a terrifying, yet completely typical story for that period. The family had seven children.  

A small stove in the house. December 2023.  

Coffee brewed on the stove for the guests. December 2023.  

The road from Yeghipatrush. December 2023.