In 1923, Nagorno-Karabakh was established as an oblast (the equivalent of a U.S. state) by the Soviet Union. It stood between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and although the territory was a part of the Azerbaijan soviet socialist republic, Armenians made up approximately 95% of the province. In 1988, Nagorno-Karabakh openly expressed their intention to associate themselves with the Republic of Armenia because of their ethnic population and dependency on Armenia for resources. Because of already existing tension between Armenia and Turkey (and by extension, Azerbaijan), violence ensued and escalated after the dissolvement of the Soviet Union in 1991. By this time, Nagorno-Karabakh declared their independence and Azerbaijan and Armenia, with their newly found statehood, fought for possession of the area. By 1993, they had been at war for a few years, resulting in thousands of casualties and refugees. A ceasefire was finally put into place in 1994 and legally lasted until 2020 when Azerbaijan broke the ceasefire. This began the ongoing conflict between the two countries. There was also a short period of fighting in 2016 with brutal attacks leaving many boarder casualties. Naturally, because of historical ethnic tensions, both sides would accuse eachother of striking first or going against the terms of the ceasefire, keeping the tensions high. Their refusal to adopt peaceful resolutions forced the hand of Russia to interfere and make a deal which resulted in Azerbaijan reclaiming most of the original territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. To keep Azerbaijan and Armenia at peace, Russia also established a strip of land meant to be the middle man between the two countries; this area is called the Lachin corridor. A permanent solution has yet to be decided and it's unclear if a compromise will even happen at all.