Ongoing Projects: Artsakh: Between War and Peace: NKRWP_015A

An older couple return home in the fog with their grocery shopping past a Russian military vehicle standing in the main square of Stepanakert, the de-facto capital of Armenian-held Nagorno Karabakh on November 30, 2020.Russian peacekeepers entered the region the day the ceasefire was announced. While there is no denying the weight of their presence, exactly how they will keep the peace remains unclear. Seen here in the main square of the de facto capital of Stepanakert, they invoke mixed feelings, at once reassuring and ominous. To many Karabakh residents, they represent the only real shot at a safe existence. To others, they are a constant reminder of a centuries-long dependence that can’t be shaken: a final nail in the coffin of the dream of sovereignty.

An older couple return home in the fog with their grocery shopping past a Russian military vehicle standing in the main square of Stepanakert, the de-facto capital of Armenian-held Nagorno Karabakh on November 30, 2020.

Russian peacekeepers entered the region the day the ceasefire was announced. While there is no denying the weight of their presence, exactly how they will keep the peace remains unclear. Seen here in the main square of the de facto capital of Stepanakert, they invoke mixed feelings, at once reassuring and ominous. To many Karabakh residents, they represent the only real shot at a safe existence. To others, they are a constant reminder of a centuries-long dependence that can’t be shaken: a final nail in the coffin of the dream of sovereignty.