The Occupation of Northern Artsakh by Bolshevik Russia in Favor of the Turks

The territory of the Dashkesan district along with the neighboring Khanlar and Getabek districts in modern Azerbaijan once was a part of the medieval Armenian kingdom of Parisos which formed the northern part of the Armenian province of Artsakh.

After the October Revolution and the seizure of the Transcaucasia by the 11th Red Army, the whole region was gifted to the Azerbaijani SSR without the agreement of the Armenian side. At the moment of the territory’s transfer, the 98% of the local population were Armenians.

A 1939 census shows that only 63% of Artsakh’s population were Armenians. In 1959, the percentage dropped to 47.2%, to 34% in 1970, and to 21.8% in 1979. In 1988, only 20% of the population of Artsakh were Armenians. However, they would be shortly deported from the region by the Soviet Army and the AzSSR OMON units during the Operation Ring in April-May 1991.

So, during the 70 years of the Soviet regime, Artsakh was completely devoid of its native population. The property of Armenians has been expropriated and given to the Azerbaijanis. According to 2016 data, the 99.6% of the population of the Dashkesan district was made up by Azerbaijanis.

All of the above needs to be considered when solving the question of Artsakh.