A municipality in Armenia referred to as community, is an administrative subdivision consisting of a settlement or a group of settlements that enjoys local self-government. The settlements are classified as either towns or villages (Armenian: գյուղեր gyugher, singular. The administrative centre of a community could either be an urban settlement or a rural settlement.
Gegharkunik is a province (marz) of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar.
Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh controlled parts of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, including its capital Stepanakert. It had been an enclave within Azerbaijan from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war until the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, when the Azerbaijani military took control over the remaining territory controlled by Artsakh. Its only overland access route to Armenia after the 2020 war was via the 5 km (3.1 mi) wide Lachin corridor, which was placed under the supervision of Russian peacekeeping forces.
Shusha or Shushi is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet era.
Shahumyan Province was a province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, de jure part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The capital of the province was Karvachar. Shahumyan Province had 17 communities of which one is considered urban and 16 are rural. Its bordered Martakert Province to the east, Kashatagh Province to the south, Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor provinces of Armenia to the west and Dashkasan, Goygol and Goranboy districts of Azerbaijan to the north.
The Artsakh Defence Army was the defence force of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh. Established in 1992, it united previously disorganized defence units which were formed in the early 1990s.
Operation Ring, known in Azerbaijan as Operation Chaykand was the codename for the May 1991 military operation conducted by the Soviet Army, Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the USSR and OMON units of the Azerbaijan SSR in the Khanlar and Shahumyan districts of the Azerbaijani SSR, the Shusha, Martakert and Hadrut districts of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, and along the eastern border of the Armenian SSR in the districts of Goris, Noyemberyan, Ijevan and Shamshadin. Officially dubbed a "passport checking operation," the ostensible goal of the operation was to disarm "illegal armed formations" in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, referring to irregular Armenian military detachments that had been operating in the area. The operation involved the use of ground troops accompanied by a complement of military vehicles, artillery and helicopter gunships to be used to root out the self-described Armenian fedayeen.
Aşağı Ağcakənd is a village in the Goranboy District of Azerbaijan. The municipality consists of the villages of Aşağı Ağcakənd, Yuxarı Ağcakənd and Meşəli. The village had an Armenian majority prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and Operation Ring.
Vaghuhas or Gozlu is a village located in the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.
Çaykənd is a village in the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan.
Nadirxanlı is a village in the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan.
Kusapat or Chiragly is a village in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan. Prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.
Taghavard or Taghaverd is a village in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population in 1989.
Culture of Artsakh includes artifacts of tangible and intangible culture that has been historically associated with Artsakh in the Southern Caucasus, controlled by Azerbaijan. These include monuments of religious and civil architecture, memorial and defense structures, and various forms of art.
Ashot Ghulyan, also known as Bekor (Shard), was an Armenian military leader during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. He was awarded the Hero of Artsakh honorary title.
Religion in Artsakh was characterized by a largely homogeneous Christian population (99%) who overwhelmingly belonged to the Armenian Apostolic Church (98%).
The Diocese of Artsakh is one of the largest dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Nagorno-Karabakh. It is named after the historic province of Artsakh; the 10th province of the Kingdom of Armenia. The diocesan headquarters are located on Ghazanchetots street 72, in the town of Shushi. The seat of the bishop is the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral. On 21 January 2022, Vrtanes Abrahamyan was appointed Primate of the Diocese.
Araratian Pontifical Diocese is the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world, covering the city of Yerevan and the Ararat Province within Armenia.
In the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, peacekeeping operations were initiated by Russia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to monitor the ceasefire between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. Separate from the Russian operation, Turkey also has personnel working in a joint Russian–Turkish monitoring centre.
Suren Barseghyan is an Armenian military personnel, participant of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, commander of the World Volunteer Detachment. In 2020 he was awarded the Hero of Artsakh military award, which is the highest honorary title of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh.
