The Azerbaijan nation which has ancient history and culture is one of the nations exposed to the most terrible genocide acts. Armenians were backed by the imperialist powers and became strong in the region after they were moved to the South Caucasus. Thenceforward, starting from the early XX century, they began to procreate genocide against Azerbaijanis from time to time. The massacres exercised in the majority of the regions of Azerbaijan were extended even after the overthrow of tsarism and covered Nakhchivan as well. The Armenians gaining the protection and support of the Soviet Russia thanks to special endeavor of S.Shaumian, band of armed robbers of Andronik in particular, exercised stern barbarism inflicting reprisals towards peaceful Turk-Muslim people of Nakhchivan district in June-August 1918. The people of Yayji (Julfa rayon) were exposed to massacres and the village itself was devastated. The bridge on Araz River in Julfa rayon was burnt and 2000 Turk-Muslim people were wildly massacred. The women, children and the old people were not compassionated, the hot samovars were tied to the back of bare-hand people, the bellies of pregnant women were torn and other inhuman tortures were carried out. Up to 300 innocent people trying to step aside this savagery drowned in Araz River while crossing it.

Another armed Armenian band under the leadership of “Japanese”-named robber drove the people of Almali settlement living on the 40-km north of Nakhchivan city out of their historical homeland. Some 200 men were killed and many young people were captivated. The lives of the people of Nakhchivan were saved from larger-scale slaughters thanks to the Ottoman armies under the leadership of Kazim Karabekir coming to the region.

In early 1919, the armed forces under the leadership of Armenian colonel Dolukhanov used violent force against the peaceful people greeting them in Sharur-Sadarak regions. The siege was laid to 8 Muslim villages, Damirchi village were plundered, 60 people being jailed were sent to Iravan, and 200 people drowned in Araz River while crossing it. The Armenian military unit encountered with the stiff resistance of local people was obliged to step back.

In the first half of 1919, also during the English and Armenian governorship in Nakhchivan district inadmissible violence acts were imposed to the Azerbaijani people of the district. During the two-month “Armenian governorship” (May-July, 1919) up to 330 investigations were conducted, about 600 guiltless residents were jailed, and horrible tortures were imposed to approximately 150 people. The successful one-week (19-25 July) rebellion of local people of the region against the “Armenian governorship” entailing the withdrawal of dashnak armed forces from the district barred new genocide acts.

As result of the ethnic cleansing policy, namely “burnt soil”, conducted by Armenians, refugees turned out to be challenging problem for Nakhchivan in 1918-1920. Turk-Muslim people driven out by Armenians from the outskirts of Iravan and the Zangazur immigrated to Nakhchivan on the one hand, and many residents of the region migrated to the South Azerbaijan during Andronik’s occupation and the “Armenian governorship”, on the other. The attacks of Armenian military units to Ordubad district in March 1920 entailed the massacre of many innocent people.

The Turk-Muslim population of Nakhchivan was also subject to genocide after the occupation of North Azerbaijan by Russia, during the initial period of Soviet authority. One of these horrible slaughters happened during summer months of 1920. The official research-investigations as to savagery and violence acts against the peaceful people of Zangabasar-Vedibasar-Shahtakhtı-Sharur by the Armenian armed forces during the bloody march entailed the facts as follows:
In Zangabasar, 48 villages were completely burnt, 18 girl and young women were captivated, more than 400 children and 150 old people were killed, 100 sick people were burnt, 816 refugees drowned in Araz, and 160 thousand people became homeless in South Azerbaijan after migration. In Vedibasar, 118 villages were burnt, 900 people were killed by gun-firing, 6 women were captivated and more than 300 children and old people were executed. Furthermore, 74 villages in Daralayaz and 76 villages in Sharur and Shahtakhti were burnt. In Sharur, 810 people were executed in sick bed, 144 women were captivated, 72 people were killed by gun-firing, and 150 old people and women were killed. In Shahtakhti, moreover, 3 women were put into captivity, 35 children, 14 old men, 8 women and 9 sick people were killed.

In total, 73.727 Turk-Muslim people were wildly killed in Nakhchivan region by the Armenian robber bands in 1918-21. 50 thousand neat and small cattle were taken from these districts, and 500 thousand people were made extremely poor. More than 45 thousand people moving to the South Azerbaijan because of massacre and plunder perished after starvation and disease. 70 thousand of refugees in South Azerbaijan and 400 thousand of refugees in Nakhchivan became homeless.