The relative democratization of the Soviet regime under Mikhail Gorbachev 's '' glasnost '' and '' perestroika '' policies since the mid-1980s gave rise to nationalism in the republics of the Soviet Union . In Armenia , the Karabakh movement gained widespread public support . Armenians demanded the Soviet authorities unify the mostly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast ( NKAO ) of Azerbaijan with Armenia . In February 1988 , the NKAO regional legislature requested the transfer of the region from the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan SSR to Armenian SSR , but it was rejected by the Politburo . Tensions between Armenians and Azerbaijanis further escalated with the pogrom in Sumgait . With both groups arming themselves , clashes became frequent , especially in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh and the border areas of the two Soviet republics . In 1989 and 1990 , Sargsyan took the command of Armenian volunteer groups fighting near Yeraskh , on the Armenian-Azerbaijani ( Nakhchivan ) border , not far from his hometown
pogrom in Sumgait
Sumgait pogrom
Vazgen Sargsyan