Azeris wear civilian clothes to disrespectfully roam around areas in Artsakh that are under Armenian control. A resident of Stepanakert, Inga Grigoryan, told Aravot Daily that Azeris typically use secret routes to approach Armenian settlements. “They travel through villages, and when the Armenians or Russian peacekeepers catch them and ask what they are doing, they say that they got lost, but they’re obviously lying because they can’t travel that far from the territories under their control and get lost in our territory. There have been cases where we saw Azeris using public transportation or in stores.”
According to Grigoryan, the Armenians in Artsakh are frequently threatened by Azerbaijanis. “They also threaten us using gunfire, and they frequently shoot in the air from Shushi. When they see Armenians, they use gestures to insult and threaten Armenians. They use every method to express that they hate Armenians. They try to express that they will eradicate us. When we were going to Stepanakert by bus, we had to pass by a group of Azeris, and they used their hands to swear at us. Then, they use cameras to document the movements of Armenians, and they register the number of people who came and went.”
Inga Grigoryan said that when the Armenians warn the Russian peacekeepers about Azeris’ threats and insults, the peacekeepers assure Armenians that they shouldn’t worry: “They’re crazy.” “Sometimes, they promise to inform Azeri commanders about it so that it doesn’t happen again. It turns out that you always have to go and inform the peacekeepers about it; you’re no longer in charge of your own country. The atmosphere in Artsakh after the war is very bad. You’re afraid to talk to anyone because everyone has lost a relative. Everyone is grieving, no one is in a good mood. There is no life; it has become hell. There is also fear among the people. People go home at night and lock their doors. They’re afraid to go outside.”
Arpine Simonyan
