NKR Russian community  seeking general return to  independent Artsakh  - Sergeev

ArmInfo.The Russian community of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will seek a fair settlement of the  Nagorno-Karabakh issue and a general return to an independent Artsakh through all legal means. This was stated by Andrey Sergeev, the deputy head of the community responsible for working with citizens of Russia and Russian organizations, during t a meeting of the Russian community of Artsakh in Moscow.

In his address, he expressed gratitude to his fellow countrymen for  their efforts to unite the Russian and Orthodox residents of  Nagorno-Karabakh, who ended up in Russia after the expulsion of the  entire Christian population from the region in September 2023.   "Artsakh should not be part of Azerbaijan, given everything that has  happened! We cannot tolerate the injustice and cruelty shown towards  the civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh. The experiences of our children  and elderly endured during the nine-month blockade organized by  official Baku in front of the world, along with the hostilities  unleashed despite all peace agreements, are a crime against humanity  and a gross violation of all moral standards," Sergeyev said.

The deputy head of the community also highlighted the involvement of  activists from the Russian community in Azerbaijan in these events,  who shamelessly posed for the camera during the blocking of the only  vital road, the Lachin corridor.

During the meeting, the representative of the community also  mentioned that the Russians of Artsakh now have a Church of the  Nativity of Christ. According to him, the Azerbaijani side had  prevented the construction of the church on Artsakh land for many  years, and it only became possible  after the arrival of the Russian  peacekeeping contingent in 2020. In May 2024, the Synodal Department  of the Russian Orthodox Church for Interaction with the Armed Forces  and Law Enforcement Agencies, decided to move this temple to Yerevan  and hand it over to the Russian community of the NKR. In this regard,  the community raised the issue of building a chapel in memory of the  first Russian temple in Artsakh in a century,  which is considered  one of the most important matters for the community.