Nagorno-Karabakh: Sirens, shelling and shelters in Stepanakert

Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh – An elderly couple walks slowly to one of the city’s few remaining open shops. A car filled with men in fatigues, waving as they pass by, heads towards the eastern edge of the city and the front line. Journalists in front of the Hotel Europe, wearing helmets and ballistic jackets, plan their day. The wail of air sirens is a regular feature, forcing anyone outside to hurry for cover. This is a scene in Stepanakert, the main city in Nagorno-Karabakh, or the capital of the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh, as Armenians know it. Three weeks into the war, it is a ghost town, its population having fled into shelters or further into Armenia. There are usually about 55,000 people in the city, accounting for roughly a third of Nagorno-Karabakh’s entire population. Stepanakert is normally bustling and in some ways, it is more modern than cities in Armenia, save Yerevan. An influx of donations by wealthy diaspora Armenians has resulted in roads, clinics and hotels that would not be out of place in a European capital. Now, the few civilians left here are consigned to underground life in the shelters. “We came here on the morning of September 27, the first day of the fighting,” says Anyuta, 32. A native of Martakert, now a key front-line town in the disputed mountain region, she and her two young children have now spent more than two weeks in the bunker. Anyuta’s spirits are high, as are her son’s, who smiles and waves. “We’re doing good here. It’s safe, and we have supplies.” Like most others, she has family on the front lines. “My brother stayed behind, he is fighting [in Martakert] now,” she said. Her father is also battling Azerbaijani forces. “They don’t need him to fight, but he wants to.” But not everyone is holding together as well. “My sister’s husband died in the first war [from 1988-1994],” said Nurvard, 69, her voice shaking. “My sister’s son died two days ago. We had his funeral at night. His mother didn’t even see her son’s body.” Her family has given much to the conflict. “I have four grandsons fighting on the front right now,” she said. “One of them died three days ago. The others are still there. What do the Turks want with us?” She breaks into tears and turns away. Armenia and Azerbaijan renewed their decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh at the end of September. The region is inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians who either want to secede or join Armenia. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">