First Nagorno-Karabakh War

This article is about the armed conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region between 1988 and 1994. For the 2020 armed conflict, see Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

First Nagorno-Karabakh War
Part of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the dissolution of the Soviet Union

Clockwise from top: Remnants of Azerbaijani APCs; internally displaced Azerbaijanis from the Armenian-occupied territories; Armenian T-72 tank memorial at the outskirts of Stepanakert; Armenian soldiers
Date20 February 1988 – 12 May 1994
(6 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan
Result Armenian victory[18]
Territorial
changes

De facto independence of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and de facto unification with Armenia[19][20][21]

Armenian occupation of territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
Belligerents
Foreign groups:
Foreign groups:
Commanders and leaders
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar[9]
Strength
30,000–40,000 (1993–94)[22]

42,600 (1993–94)[22]

Casualties and losses

Civilian deaths:

  • 16,000 Azerbaijani civilians[34]
  • 4,000 Armenian civilians (including citizens of Armenia)[34]

Civilians missing:

  • 400 according to Karabakh State Commission[33]
  • 749 according to Azerbaijani State Commission[33]

Civilians displaced:

  • 724,000 Azerbaijanis[35] from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas
  • 300,000–500,000 Armenians[35] from Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhchivan

The First Nagorno-Karabakh War[d] was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan with support from Turkey. As the war progressed, Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet republics, entangled themselves in protracted, undeclared mountain warfare in the mountainous heights of Karabakh as Azerbaijan attempted to curb the secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The enclave's parliament had voted in favor of uniting with Armenia and a referendum, boycotted by the Azerbaijani population of Nagorno-Karabakh, was held, in which a 99.89% voted in favor of independence with an 82.2% turnout.[36][37] The demand to unify with Armenia began in a relatively peaceful manner in 1988; in the following months, as the Soviet Union disintegrated, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, resulting in ethnic cleansing,[38][39] including the Sumgait (1988) and Baku (1990) pogroms directed against Armenians, and the Gugark pogrom (1988) and Khojaly Massacre (1992) directed against Azerbaijanis. Inter-ethnic clashes between the two broke out shortly after the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) in Azerbaijan voted to unite the region with Armenia on 20 February 1988. The declaration of secession from Azerbaijan was the culmination of a territorial conflict.[40] As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave's government, the Armenian majority voted to secede from Azerbaijan and in the process proclaimed the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Full-scale fighting erupted in early 1992. Turkey sent mercenaries to fight for Azerbaijan and assisted in blockading trade to Armenia, including humanitarian aid.[41] International mediation by several groups including the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) failed to bring an end resolution that both sides could work with. In early 1993, Armenian forces captured seven Azerbaijani-majority districts outside the enclave itself, threatening the involvement of other countries in the region.[e] By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of the enclave, in addition to surrounding Azerbaijani territories, most notably the Lachin corridor – a mountain pass that links Nagorno-Karabakh with mainland Armenia. A Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in May 1994.

As a result of the conflict, approximately 724,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories, while 300,000–500,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan or Armenian border areas were displaced.[35] After the end of the war and over a period of many years, regular peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan were mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group but failed to result in a peace treaty. This left the Nagorno-Karabakh area in a state of legal limbo, with the Republic of Artsakh remaining de facto independent but internationally unrecognized. Ongoing tensions persisted, with occasional outbreaks of armed clashes. Armenian forces occupied approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave until the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020.[f]


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  1. ^ "В карабахском селе открылся памятник погибшим в войне кубанским казакам [A monument to the Kuban Cossacks who died in the war was opened in the Karabakh village]" (in Russian). REGNUM News Agency. 30 May 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020.
  2. ^ According to Leonid Tibilov, President of South Ossetia in 2012-17. "Леонид Тибилов поздравил Бако Саакяна с 25-й годовщиной образования Нагорно-Карабахской Республики [Leonid Tibilov congratulated Bako Sahakyan on the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic]". presidentruo.org (in Russian). President of the Republic of South Ossetia. 2 September 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. В борьбе за свободу и независимость на помощь народу Арцаха пришли и волонтеры из Южной Осетии. Они скрепили нашу дружбу своей праведной кровью, пролитой на вашей благословенной земле. Мы высоко ценим, что вами увековечены их имена в памятниках, названиях улиц и учебных заведений ряда населенных пунктов Вашей республики.
  3. ^ a b Azerbaijan: Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 1994. ISBN 1-56432-142-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2020. p. xiii "Slavic mercenaries also take part in the fighting. The Slavs on both sides ..."; p. 106 "Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian mercenaries or rogue units of the Soviet/Russian Army have fought on both sides."
  4. ^ Panossian 2002, p. 145.
  5. ^ Shogren, Elizabeth (21 September 1990). "Armenians Wage Hunger Strike in Regional Dispute: Soviet Union: Five threaten to starve themselves to death unless Moscow ends military rule in Azerbaijan enclave". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Cornell 1999, p. 26: "Sporadic clashes became frequent by the first months of 1991, with an ever-increasing organization of paramilitary forces on the Armenian side, whereas Azerbaijan still relied on the support of Moscow. ... In response to this development, a joint Soviet and Azerbaijani military and police operation directed from Moscow was initiated in these areas during the Spring and Summer of 1991.".
  7. ^ Papazian 2008, p. 25: "units of the 4th army stationed in Azerbaijan and Azeri OMONs were used in 'Operation Ring', to empty a number of Armenian villages in Nagorno-Karabakh in April 1991.".
  8. ^ "AFGHAN FIGHTERS AIDING AZERBAIJAN IN CIVIL WAR". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b Taarnby 2008, p. 6.
  10. ^ Brzezinski & Sullivan 1997, p. 616: "It is also revealed that a new force of 200 armed members of the Grey Wolves organization has been dispatched from Turkey in preparation for a new Azeri offensive and to train units of the Azeri army."
  11. ^ Griffin, Nicholas (2004). Caucasus: A Journey to the Land Between Christianity and Islam. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 185–186. ISBN 0-226-30859-6.
  12. ^ "Украинские националисты УНАО-УНСО признали, что воевали на стороне Азербайджана в Карабахе". panorama.am (in Russian). 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Армянский эксперт: В Первую Карабахскую войну украинские неонацисты служили в армии Азербайджана летчиками и артиллеристами". eadaily.com (in Russian). 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Кроме чеченских боевиков, радикальных исламистов из Афганистана, „Серых волков" и других, отметились в Карабахе и украинские нацисты из УНА-УНСО.
  14. ^ ""В случае войны мы окажем баку посильную помощь"". euraspravda.ru (in Russian). 5 March 2014.
  15. ^ ""В случае войны мы окажем Баку посильную помощь"". Minval.az (in Russian).
  16. ^ "Турецкие националисты намерены участвовать в новой карабахской войне" [Turkish nationalists intend to participate in a new Karabakh war]. REGNUM (in Russian). 14 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  17. ^ a b Demoyan 2006, p. 226: "Turkey continued to provide military as well as economic aid to Azerbaijan. As further proof, the Turkish army and intelligence services launched undercover operations to supply Azerbaijan with arms and military personnel. According to Turkish sources, over 350 high-ranking officers and thousands of volunteers from Turkey participated in the warfare on the Azerbaijani side.".
  18. ^ "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Armenia". Refworld. Minority Rights Group International. 2007. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. The war ended at Ceasefire Agreement in 1994, with the Armenians of Karabakh (supported by Armenia) taking control not only of Nagorny Karabakh itself but also occupying in whole or in part seven regions of Azerbaijan surrounding the former NKAO.
  19. ^ Trenin 2011, p. 67: "Armenia is de facto united with Nagorno-Karabakh, an unrecognized state, in a single entity.".
  20. ^ Mulcaire, Jack (9 April 2015). "Face Off: The Coming War between Armenia and Azerbaijan". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016. The mostly Armenian population of the disputed region now lives under the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a micronation that is supported by Armenia and is effectively part of that country.
  21. ^ Cornell 2011, p. 135: "Following the war, the territories that fell under Armenian control, in particular Mountainous Karabakh itself, were slowly integrated into Armenia.".
  22. ^ a b "SIPRI Yearbook 1994". sipri.org. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 1994. p. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2020.Chorbajian, Donabedian & Mutafian 1994, pp. 13–18 Table of conflict locations with at least one major armed conflict in 1993
  23. ^ Brzezinski & Sullivan 1997, p. 616: "It is also revealed that a new force of 200 armed members of the Grey Wolves organization has been dispatched from Turkey in preparation for a new Azeri offensive and to train units of the Azeri army.".
  24. ^ Charalampidis 2013, p. 6: "Different independent sources – expert, intelligence and official – estimated that the number of Afghan fighters during the period of 1993–1994 fluctuated between 1500–3000."
  25. ^ Charalampidis 2013, pp. 4, 6.
  26. ^ a b c (in Russian) Melik-Shahnazarov, Arsen. Нагорный Карабах: факты против лжи Archived 29 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  27. ^ a b de Waal 2013, p. 327.
  28. ^ Bertsch 1999, p. 297.
  29. ^ Suleymanov, Rashad (13 January 2014). Названо число азербайджанских военнослужащих, погибших во время I Карабахской войны [The number of Azerbaijani servicemen killed during the First Karabakh War has been named] (in Russian). Baku: APA. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  30. ^ de Waal 2013, p. 326.
  31. ^ "Winds of Change in Nagorno Karabakh". Archived 6 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Euronews. 28 November 2009.
  32. ^ FRD 1995, p. 98.
  33. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference OhanyanVelikhanova was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ a b "Civil War: Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (1992–1994)". Omnilogos. 13 June 2020.
  35. ^ a b c "Gefährliche Töne im "Frozen War"". Wiener Zeitung. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013.
  36. ^ "The Referendum on Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic | NKR". www.nkr.am. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  37. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh: between vote and reality". openDemocracy. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  38. ^ Rieff, David (June 1997). "Without Rules or Pity". Foreign Affairs. 76 (2). Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2007.
  39. ^ Lieberman 2006, pp. 284–292.
  40. ^ Croissant 1998.
  41. ^ Bonner, Raymond (16 April 1994). "War, Blockade and Poverty 'Strangling' Armenia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016. But Turkey backs the Azerbaijanis, and has sealed its border with Armenia. Turkey will not allow even relief aid across its land to Armenia.
  42. ^ de Waal 2003, p. 286.