refugees

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A lecture hall adapted for medical use. Photo: Arshaluys Barseghyan/OC Media

Armenia

The fight to save Nagorno-Karabakh’s burns patients

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•8 min read

As the exodus of Nagorno-Karabakh was unfolding, a massive explosion at a fuel depot struck the region’s population. Many of the survivors of the blast were brought to the Yerevan burn clinic — fighting for their lives after having lost the fight for their homes. On 20 September 2023, nine months of blockade and two days of war came to an end in Nagorno-Karabakh when the region surrendered to Azerbaijan. Its population, weakened by a long-running blockade, leading to shortages of food, medicin

Members of the Assembly of Chechens of Europe at a protest against the Russian invasion on 7 March in Paris.

Chechnya

Podcast | Chechens trying to find their place in Europe

by OC Media

•2 min read

The Kadyrov regime, installed by Moscow in Grozny after the fall of Ichkeria, a short-lived independent Chechen state that existed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has led to a severe deterioration of human rights in Chechnya, as reports of police brutality, disappearances, torture, and the persecution of people formerly associated with Ichkeria became all too common. Tens of thousands have since fled Chechnya and settled in Europe, with more attempting to seek asyl

Armenia

The last bus out of Nagorno-Karabakh

by Arshaluys Barseghyan

•9 min read

With the exodus of practically the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh now complete, many of those forced to start new lives from scratch reflect on what — and who — they have left behind. On the road to Goris on 29 September, cars with bundles tied to their roofs and trucks full of personal possessions filled the road. Goris, a town in southern Armenia, was the place where those who fled Nagorno-Karabakh in fear arrived to register and find temporary shelter. The vehicles, with mattres

Manan in Dusseldorf. She hides her face as many in her hometown do not know the reason she is in Germany. Photo: Aren Melikyan/OC Media.

Armenia

Seeking asylum and a cure in Germany

by Aren Melikyan

•7 min read

Many Armenian citizens with debilitating and life-threatening health problems that they cannot afford to treat in their homeland look to Germany as their last chance for treatment and recovery — despite the high chance of deportation. The small public square in front of Dusseldorf’s main train station evokes feelings of nostalgia for the 42-year-old Armenian woman standing in front of it. Inga can’t help but compare everything she sees with her hometown of Gyumri, a city in the north of Armen

The courtyard of the Ed-Em hotel. Photo: Ani Avetisyan/OC Media.

Armenia

Stepanakert’s memory hotel

by Ani Avetisyan

•8 min read

A small hotel in the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh unites several families who fled their homes during the recent war and provides a space to rekindle their hopes of finding a place to call home again. One of the two entrances of the Ed-Em hotel located near the central square of the capital is quiet, silent almost — the only sound, a ‘tap – tap – tap’ comes from the receptionist typing distractedly on his phone. But this is no ordinary hotel, and those who stay there, are no ordinary guests

The cellar where Tetiana, Iryna, and their family sheltered from airstrikes. Photo: Tetiana Rovna.

Feature Stories

Distance from a home at war

by Aren Melikyan

•6 min read

Tetiana Rovna escaped Bucha as Russian troops were advancing towards the Kyiv suburb. She told OC Media about her flight from Ukraine and what it has been like to witness her home ravaged by war from afar. An air raid warning interrupts my quiet conversation with Tetiana Rovna as her phone receives a notification about incoming Russian airstrikes on the town of Kropyvnytskyi. An app created by the Ukrainian government urges her to quickly go to the nearest bomb shelter. She does not need to h

Islam Melikov at Juliusz Słowacki 1st General Secondary School in Przemyśl. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli.

Azerbaijan

Shattered glass at the Kharkiv train station

by Peter Liakhov

•3 min read

Islam Melikov was born in Baku and spent the past three decades living in Kharkiv. OC media spoke with him about his escape from the Ukrainian city and his thoughts on the war at a refugee shelter near the Polish-Ukrainian border. I spoke to Islam Melikov at the Juliusz Słowacki 1st General Secondary School in the Polish border town of Przemyśl where he was staying with his wife, his daughter, and his granddaughter — recuperating before undertaking further travel towards Germany. Islam, an e