Lankaran Battalion in Kasapet Mountain

The collapse of the Soviet Union triggered many ethnic conflicts throughout the Eastern Europe and Asia. One of the most horrific conflicts was the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Armenia with the support of Russia invaded neighboring Azerbaijan and occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory - known as Karabakh. The conflict claimed the lives of some 30.000 people and left more then a million people displaced in Azerbaijan. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan suffered heavy losses. This report contains unique footages of mountainous warfare from the perspective of the soldiers - the Lenkeran Battalion. The battalion was an all volunteer battalion composed of mainly ethnic Talysh people. The battalion defended Azerbaijan against the Russian and Armenian expansionism and invasion in the early 1990s. The Talysh people have played a tremendious role in shaping the Azerbaijani identity. They also made great contributions to Azerbaijan's cultural and historic heritage. This report is dedicated to all Karabakh veterans on behalf of Elkhan Alibeyli.