The Khojaly Massacre was a tragedy that caused death of 613 people, including children, elder people and women. It happened on 25-26 February 1992 in the town of Khojaly in Azrbaijan, when Armenian armed forced attacked and killed the townspeople. The massacre was one of the events of the Nagorno-Karabkh war that had been lasted from 1980 until 1994. Most of the civilians were killed by using a method known as “severe cruelty”, when they were trying to leave the town. People were killed at close range, then scalped and burned alive. Those few citizens, who managed to escape, had to hide in mountains. After the massacre was conducted, the Armenian forces took control over the region. This tragic event found a quick resonance in the world. According to the international law, the Khojaly Massacre has violated Geneva conventions and several articles of the Declaration of Human Rights. However, the reaction of Armenia was quiet defensive, and the Armenian government claimed that the massacre was not more than a general military operation. Moreover, Ayaz Mutalibov, the president of Azerbaijan, has pointed out in his interview that the genocide in Khojalz was committed by the Popular Front of Azerbaijan (Cornell 310)
Russia and its army have played an important role in this massacre since the Russian soldiers participated in the event on the side of Armenia. International observers found out and confirmed that 366th Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Army took part in the attack of the citizens of Khojaly. It has been assumed that their participation was against the orders of the Military District command. As a proof of this, the message appeared in March 1993 in the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda: “Despite categorical orderssome military personnel of the 366th Regiment took part in military operations near Khojaly on the Armenian side”. In fact, despite the evacuation of the regiment in March, over 100 Russian soldiers remained and decided to join the Armenian forces. After a tragic event in Khojaly, interim Defence Minister Rahim Gaziyev accused Russia and described it as an aggressor, who participated in the massacre and supported the cruel operations initiated by the Armenian army. (Mehdiyeva 87)
However, according to some other sources, the participation of Russia and 366th Motor Rifle Regiment was quiet contradictory because there is also information, according to which some servicemen from 366th Regiment supported two sides at the same time – both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Also, some of the researchers and witnesses claimed that the Russian army did not participate in the massacre itself because the Armenian army had enough power and soldiers, and did not need any additional help. However after the massacre Russia took part in the seizure of the town of Khojaly and the territory, which led to the total destruction of the town.
Though it is no clear enough, whether Russia supported the Armenian massacre or not, it is obvious that Russia was the most important foreign actor in Armenian relation on are international arena, therefore it was beneficial for Russia and the Russian government to keep the tension in this region in order not to lose its power in Caucasus. Therefore, it might be concluded that even if Russia did not participate in Khojaly massacre, it supported it in order to remain one of the most powerful nations. (Cohen and Deng 278)
Works Cited
Cohen, Roberta and Francis Deng. The Forsaken people: case studies of the Internally displaced. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. 1998. Print
Cornell, Svante. Azerbaijan Since Independence. New York: Routledge, 2011. Print
Mehdiyeva, Narzin. Power Games in the Caucasus: Azerbaijan’s Foreign and Energy Policy Towards in the West, Russia and the Middle East. New York: Tauris&Co Ltd. 2011. Print
