The statement of the “Geghard” Scientific and Analytical Foundation on the 33rd anniversary of the operation “Ring“
On April 30, 1991, 33 years ago, the central authorities of the USSR and Soviet Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military-police operation called “Ring”. This operation was carried out jointly by the USSR army units, the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan (OMON). The operation spanned from April to August 1991.”
The operation, carried out under the pretext of “passport checking,” aimed to oppress and terrorize Armenians and depopulate Armenian settlements. Operation “Ring” encompassed not only Artsakh and the Armenian-inhabited regions of Soviet Azerbaijan, but also the border settlements of Armenia.
Although the official start date of the operation is considered to be April 30, preparations for it began much earlier, with targeted attacks against several Armenian settlements in the Shahumyan region and the Getashen sub-region from 1988 to 1990.
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On the night of April 29-30, 1991, with the surrounding and shelling of Martunashen and Getashen, the operation “Ring” began. Armenian settlements were encircled by units of the Soviet army and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and then OMON units invaded, subjecting the inhabitants to intimidation, violence, and forced deportation.
As a result of the operation “Ring”, dozens of villages in Northern Artsakh, Shahumyan, Hadrut, and Shushi regions were destroyed and depopulated. Over 100 people were killed, and several hundred were taken hostage.
Operation “Ring” was the continuation of the aggression and violence against Armenians in Artsakh and the Armenian-populated regions of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1988 to 1990. The ultimate goal of this policy was to expel Armenians from their homeland, Artsakh, a goal that was fully implemented between 2020 and 2023. This outcome was facilitated in part by the inadequate response of the international community and the failure to implement effective mechanisms to restrain Azerbaijan.
