New black and white mourning banners have appeared at the entrances of Armenian villages near the border with Azerbaijan. In Lichk, in the Martouni region, one of them was erected in honor of 20-year-old Arthur Markarian. The young man is one of 204 Armenian soldiers killed in the Baku attacks on September 13-14 on Armenian territory.
Arthur had been completing his military service for a year when, in the middle of the night, a barrage of artillery, rocket launchers and drones slammed into his outpost near the border with Azerbaijan — and not in Nagorno-Karabakh, the separatist enclave at the heart of the recent war between the two countries in autumn 2020. For two days, more than thirty Armenian towns and villages including Jermuk, Goris, Kapan, Sotk and Vardenis were attacked. Not seen on this scale since the end of the war. Three civilians were also killed, 7,600 people displaced and 20 soldiers captured. Yerevan denounced “aggression” from Baku, which claims to have responded to “provocations” and has killed more than 70 people in its ranks. The diplomatic chiefs of the two countries met in Geneva on Sunday, October 2 to discuss peace talks, with no progress.
Markar Markarian looks at old photos of Artur, his nephew who was killed at the border. In Litchk Village, Armenia on September 28, 2022. KAREN MIRZOYAN FOR THE WORLD
Gohar and Gvido Markarian hold up a photo of their son Arthur. In the village of Litchk, Armenia, September 28, 2022. KAREN MIRZOYAN FOR “THE WORLD” Read the decoding: Article reserved for our subscribers Return of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Every day since the attacks, Arthur’s family and neighbors have gathered around the altar erected in the living room to commemorate the young soldier, whose portrait is draped over a large Armenian flag near the banquet. The father, Gevidan Markarian, is not angry with the government and the army. “There is neither power nor army here,” he says indignantly. We are all alone, surrounded by our enemies. On the bench, the women nod silently.
Growing anti-Russian sentiment
Their sense of abandonment has been compounded since Russia, Armenia’s traditional ally, refused to provide military aid to the country under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Moscow-dominated alliance. Captured by the war in Ukraine, where military failures are common, Russia sent only a simple observation mission. This disinterest is fueling growing anti-Russian sentiment among the populace, already irritated by Moscow’s inaction during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, even though the military alliance linking the two countries is technically unrelated to the separatist enclave. “Russia is supposed to be our ally and protect us, but we don’t see anything on the ground! Now we don’t expect anything from her,” says the deceased’s uncle, Markar Markarian.
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