Artsakh Residents in Armenia Struggle to Hold On

Assistance has also been provided by diasporan organizations, like the Tufenkian Foundation from the US (see the January 15, 2026 article by this author in the Mirror-Spectator titled “Refugees Try to Make a New Life in Svarants”).

Daron Acemoğlu in his book Why Nations Fail beautifully describes how little aid from international organizations and donors reaches the real recipients (the IDP’s, the people affected by conflicts etc.). He explains that as a result, proxies (authorities, NGOs) benefit more than the people for whom the program and donations were intended.

In one case, while there are no statistics on how many Karabakh Armenian entrepreneurs received loans with 35-percent interest, banks offer insurmountable conditions, and there are very few applicants. There are suspicions that the loans are provided not to Karabakh Armenians, but to local organizations, NGOs, on the condition that they provide jobs to Karabakh refugees. This is not a violation of the rules, but this loophole allows banks to deprive Artsakh residents of direct and direct support. This EU program, which can really be a salvation for many, needs monitoring and public reporting to avoid corruption and other risks.

“The program is so complicated that there is almost no chance to become a beneficiary. So much bureaucracy, so much paperwork that I have to hire a lawyer, an accountant, and an HR employee to do all this for me. It feels like some kind of program that was created in advance for only a few people,” a Karabakh Armenian ironically states.

On the other hand, the EU does not have mechanisms to directly provide money to Karabakh Armenians. Therefore, the EU supports Karabakh refugees either through the Armenian government or local NGOs.

In Karabakh, Armenians used to have two homes, one usually in the capital Stepanakert, where they lived permanently, and the other known as the grandmother’s home, which was located in the village where they were originally from and which they usually visited for the holidays in the summer. Today they are deprived of both. Moreover, they watch online how they are being demolished or “being resettled” by Azerbaijan.

Thus, three years later, Karabakh Armenians continue to face social issues and injustices in Armenia. The only thing left for them to do is complain on Facebook groups, which no one cares about.

What Is Russian Aid About?

Today, all eyes  are on the Strait of Hormuz blockade and everyone has forgotten about Nagorno Karabakh’s nine-month-long siege in 2023.

Recently, the Russian autonomous nonprofit organization Eurasia invited Karabakh Armenians to their representative office in Yerevan to provide them with assistance. This usually includes hygiene items, vermicelli, canned goods and buckwheat, and those in need, who are many, gathered there to receive their share. “Russia Is with You” is what this support program is called.

The Eurasia and Russian Humanitarian Mission autonomous nonprofit organizations, within the framework of the “Russia Is with You” project implemented under the auspices of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), promised to provide more than 140 tons of humanitarian aid from July 31, 2025, to forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno Karabakh who have settled in Armenia.

It is indeed humiliating for the Karabakh refugees, but out of necessity, people accept this aid. Many will remember how during the blockade Russian peacekeepers distributed similar aid to pregnant women and recorded it on their phones. At the time, Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan condemned such behavior by Russians, but again, what was left for hungry people to do but accept the aid?

Armenia has refused Russian humanitarian aid intended for Nagorno‑Karabakh refugees, citing a ban on donations and charitable assistance during pre-election periods. Parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 7.

It is obvious that this aid has a political subtext, which is evidenced by the statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova about this refusal. According to Zakharova, Moscow became one of the first to provide humanitarian aid to the Karabakh people living in Armenia, but Yerevan refused to accept it.

Earlier, the Fact Investigation Platform (FIP) reported that Eurasia was involved in meddling in election processes in Moldova. Its investigation found that “In 2025, during the parliamentary elections in Moldova, [Moldavian oligarch Ilan] Shor again promoted Russian propaganda narratives through Eurasia NGO and the pro-Russian opposition Victory political bloc, and coordinated funding to influence the political situation in the Republic of Moldova.”

A man eats his own bitter food with more appetite than the honey given by his neighbor, goes the Karabakh proverb.  If you ask any Karabakh Armenian, they will say that they don’t need any help. All they want is to be in their own home.