Watching the news about and from Armenia has become a real source of trauma for all Armenians around the world. Armenia, as a nation, lost a piece of historic land in Karabakh, while many families have lost their young sons and daughters, many between the ages of 19 and 22.
Russian President Vladimir Putin put the number of casualties in Armenia at 4,000, with many more thousands wounded.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is charged with overseeing the exchange of POWs and returning the dead, but the Azerbaijani side is interfering with their mission, most probably to hide the war crimes committed by Baku during the hostilities. Many Azerbaijani soldiers have proudly posted videos in which they kill Armenian soldiers at point-blank range or mutilate their bodies. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself referred to mutilations, in addition to deaths caused by phosphorus and cluster bombs used against civilians during the war.
Understandably, the shameful document ending the war signed on November 9 by Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has touched off a political crisis in Armenia, which is compounded by the raging of the uncontrollable pandemic.
It is no coincidence that the first Azerbaijani aggression took place during the Gyumri earthquake, which killed 25,000 citizens along with the devastation of the city. The current war took place during another natural disaster, namely the COVID-19 pandemic. With both Armenia and Artsakh weakened by the pandemic, Azerbaijan was met by a weaker response.
The despair caused by the defeat and the staggering number of young lives lost has made the recovery of Armenia challenging. Even if the most diehard patriot considers leaving the homeland, it will be understood, if not justified.