Operation Ring, April–August 1991

Operation Ring, known in Russian as Operatsiya Koltso, was a joint security operation conducted by Soviet internal troops and Azerbaijani security forces.

The operation began in the spring of 1991 and targeted Armenian-populated villages in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Its stated purpose was to disarm illegal armed formations and enforce security measures.

However, human-rights investigators documented serious abuses, including forced deportations, arbitrary detentions, beatings, and the destruction or seizure of property.

The villages of Getashen and Martunashen

Among the earliest major targets were Getashen and Martunashen, Armenian-populated villages north of the former autonomous oblast.

Residents were forced to leave, and Armenian armed groups resisted the operation.

The fighting included the deaths of Armenian volunteers and commanders.

Tatoul Krpeyan, an Armenian military figure associated with the defense of Getashen, was killed during the operation and later became a prominent figure in Armenian remembrance.

Other villages in the Shahumyan region and the northern and southern parts of Nagorno-Karabakh were affected.

Humanitarian consequences

Operation Ring intensified Armenian fears that the Soviet and Azerbaijani authorities intended to remove Armenian communities from contested areas.

It also strengthened the conviction among many Armenian activists that armed self-defense was necessary.

The operation did not achieve lasting stability.

Instead, it accelerated the militarization of the dispute and contributed to the transition from political confrontation to war.

Human Rights Watch later concluded that Operation Ring increased violence rather than resolving the conflict.