On May 28th, 1990, there was a popular rumor that the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic would overthrow Lenin's statue in Yerevan and fly the Red-Blue-Orange Tricolor of the First Republic, in anniversery of the Independence Day of the First Armenian Republic from the Ottoman Empire. In response to this rumor, on May 27th, Soviet tanks entered Yerevan to protect the statue; several Armenian fedayis, members of the Hayots Azgayin Banak, or the Armenian National Army, a pseudo-political party, fought the Soviet troops, resulting in Russian and Armenian deaths. The day is a dark day in Armenian history, as the statue was protected, and Armenians were killed so near what would be the end of the USSR.
Now, instead of being defeated, what if the Armenians had been more successful? Heavy weapons depots were not used by the ANA, who felt that it might cause some sort of massacre. This close to the end of the USSR, however, it is highly unlikely that the Russians would actually engage in something like that. What if the Armenians had been able to throw back the Russians, or, more likely, at least hold them until the statue of Lenin would be brought down at midnight? Would there be no effects? Possible increased Russian aid to Azerbaijan? Or, perhaps, Armenia declaring independence, while Gorbachev is still in office?
Now, instead of being defeated, what if the Armenians had been more successful? Heavy weapons depots were not used by the ANA, who felt that it might cause some sort of massacre. This close to the end of the USSR, however, it is highly unlikely that the Russians would actually engage in something like that. What if the Armenians had been able to throw back the Russians, or, more likely, at least hold them until the statue of Lenin would be brought down at midnight? Would there be no effects? Possible increased Russian aid to Azerbaijan? Or, perhaps, Armenia declaring independence, while Gorbachev is still in office?
