Collapse of the Soviet Union and blowback in Baku January 20, 1990

Late at night on January 19, 1990, about 26.000 Soviet troops stormed Baku, the capital of Soviet Azerbaijan. The troops were supported by tanks and other armored vehicles. They blocked all the major roads and then airborne troops were dropped down on the city from airplanes. This was followed by a naval blockade. The Soviet army was acting pursuant to a state of emergency declared by the USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium, signed by President Gorbachev. However it was only disclosed to the public only after many citizens lay wounded or dead in the streets, hospitals and morgues of Baku. More than 130 people were killed and between 700 and 800 civilians were wounded. Hundreds of people were detained. All of this happened exactly 22 years ago on January 20th 1990. This crackdown is better known as Black January.

The massacre was intended as a warning to other independence and freedom movements, not only in Azerbaijan, but in the other Republics of the Soviet Union. The KGB didnt anticipate that the events in Baku would later on inspire similar events in Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine and Georgia. Black January played a key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In April 27, 1995, Mikhail Gorbachev apologized for Black January in a speech in Istanbul. "Proclaiming the state of emergency in Baku and sending army to the city was the biggest mistake of my political life..."

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[eggnchip]

@CaspianReport Would you consider doing a video on the current economic or political climate in Azerbaijan. This is a country I hear so little about.

[CaspianReport]

@eggnchip I did a report on the geopolitics of the Caucasus. The video you are searching for it "Importance of Caucasus".

[GaniSowie]

wasnt azerbaian part of soviet union ? how can the invade their own land ?

[CaspianReport]

@GaniSowie The Soviet Union was made out of 15 republics. All of them had their own jurisdictions and authorities. One could not violate the other. This principle applied to all modern countries ever since Julius Ceasar crossed the Rubicon River.

[Ilovejews18]

@CaspianReport but didnt all soviet republics had the same army?so y would an army invade its own land.thats like usa army invades texas.

[CaspianReport]

@Ilovejews18 There was the Red Army, which was used for international issues. For domestic issues the constitution only allowed the usage of interior troops. The soldiers came from the reserve from Krasnodar and Stavropol territories within the Russian republic. It made it a clear violation of item 14 of article 119 of the constitution of the USSR. The legal ways to use force in Baku would have been to deploy the 20.000 strong interior troops in the Baku.

[Barmorris]

I never knew anything about black January.

Thank you for your clips !

[TheChelseaFEVER]

it has always snowed and rained on this exact day for as long as i remember .

and it is snowing today .

as if the skies are crying for our martyrs

[chugalongway01]

Russia occupation of Afganistan played a key role in the demise of the USSR

Now America is silly enough to do the same thing

[amirova]

Thank you very much for every your video!!

[CabronDioz]

Very nice videos. Thanks for sharing these with the world.

[AmetReloads]

the only thing regrettable is that the soviet troops didn't accomplish their mission..

azeris went on and ethnic cleansed ALL of the 300 000 Armenians of Baku area in violent bloody pogroms against them, Armenians attack on nagorno karabakh and the rest is the known history..

Armenia crashed the azeri forces in NK and lachin , the war caused the death of 30 000 azeri, 0.5 million refuges,and the control of 20% of azeri land from Armenia.

[umnica90]

thanks for you video Caspian Report..

[Vienna819]

@MrKIMBO345 Well put..

[MrKIMBO345]

Freedom has its price but it is better to fight for it than to be slave under ruthless authoritarian.

[ZLOYNL]

Shirvan, thank for you job again. More than 130 official deads in one night and all of them were unarmed civilian people. But no one is forgotten.