Fearing the Azerbaijani Army, Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh, asking, “How Can We Live with Them?”

Nearly 90% of the area’s ethnic Armenian populace has left since the Azerbaijani army took control of the Nagorno-Karabakh territory in a devastating operation last week.

When Ofelya Hayrapetyan’s son made it to Khachmach village and learned that the border between Karabakh and Armenia was opened, she did not think twice. “I just removed my jewelry. Everyone departed in the first car they could find, including women, kids, and the elderly, she stated as she took a nap in Vayk.

To reduce congestion in the border town of Goris, the authorities have established a receiving center in the Armenian town along the route to Yerevan. The mood seemed calmer after the refugees left Nagorno Karabakh, but they were all united in their disgust at the Azerbaijani annexation.

“They’re vicious! Ofelya Hayrapetyan said, “Those dogs are not mine to live with.

It’s just genocide, her husband said.

Spartak Harutyunyan was relaxing nearby while playing with his ten-month-old child. “The ‘Turks’ claim that we may remain, but they constantly tell lies. He referred to the Azerbaijani military in an insulting shorthand and said, “How can we live with them?

By Saturday night, the populace of rebel Karabakh had all but disappeared. The Armenian government has counted 1,00,417 persons who have entered the country since September 24.

Before the Azerbaijani lightning attack on September 19 and 20, there were 1,20,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to government statistics.

LARGE-SCALE RUMOURS

They escaped and then came, often without even bothering to pack a bag. As told by two separatist troops, “A woman from the village stayed behind, and they slit her throat,” said Hayrapetyan.

Alina Alaverdyan, 69, frowns as she speaks about the rumor “of the rape of the daughter-in-law” of an acquaintance from a few feet away. The kinds of things, she explains, “that cross your mind.” They aren’t people. They’re canines.

Every household in Nagorno-Karabakh has heard such rumors, which are hard to verify and are nearly always spread by word of mouth. There are countless reports of young ladies being raped or newborns being beheaded. However, the majority of the evacuees acknowledge that prior to leaving, they had not come across any Azerbaijani military.

AFP’s testimony collection revealed that Baku’s troops typically avoided cities and villages in favor of important heights and routes. A mass migration ensued, sometimes initiated by local authorities and sometimes occurring on its own.

According to Marine Poghosyan, 58, “We were told to leave and in 15 minutes it was done,” and she is certain they would never go back to Karabakh. “I’d rather stay here and live in a tent than go back there.”

BLOODSHED IN SERIES

Karabakh, a region of fewer than 3,200 sq km that is little bigger than Luxembourg, has seen four recent battles.

30,000 people died during the first conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which took place from 1988 to 1994 and led to the departure of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and Armenians.

Following that, there were other instances of violence and conflict in 2016, 6,500 people killed in six weeks in 2020, Armenia experienced a devastating loss, and now there is a short war in 2023.

Every single immigrant mentioned losing at least one brother, son, or spouse in battle. Images of suspected atrocities and war crimes have started to circulate online, for which both sides have laid responsibility.

“We discuss all of this among ourselves. Alina Alaverdyan, a former military caterer who recalls that “the Azerbaijanis were polite in the Soviet era,” added, “We’re going insane.

The spouse of Hayrapetyan, who refused to disclose his name, said that “peace will never exist in this region, the Caucasus.” Wars will always occur, sometimes openly and sometimes secretly.