Karabakh - by the roads of victory

This now deserted wasteland, a land that had been under Armenian occupation for almost 30 years, stretches for hundreds of kilometres. This region was called “the richest and most beautiful region of Azerbaijan”, “decoration and pride”, “a wonderful garden”. Huge harvests were gathered here, countless herds grazed in the valleys and foothills, cosy villages were hidden under the crowns of trees, canals carried water to fields and gardens, power plants gave light, factories produced goods, theatres, schools, hospitals were built, resorts received guests. There were centuries-old temples here, formidable fortresses, palaces of the powerful rulers of the Karabakh Khanate. The picture is different now. Fields overgrown with bushes, felled forests, cities and villages razed to the ground, broken roads with burnt Armenian military hardware, cut off pylons, dismantled water pipelines, canals filled with sand, sold-out factories, ransacked museums, and mosques fired at. Even cemeteries were not spared: gravestones were bulldozed. This was the goal of the Armenian adventure – to create a branch of Armenia in the territory of Azerbaijan and achieve its prosperity at the expense of the grief of another people – an adventure that ended in the autumn of 2020.