Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan

Overview

The Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan, also known as the Sovietization or Soviet invasion of Azerbaijan, took place in April 1920. It was a military campaign conducted by the 11th Army of the Soviet Russia aimed at installing a Soviet government in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The invasion coincided with an anti-government insurrection organized by local Azerbaijani Bolsheviks in the capital city of Baku. As a result, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was dissolved, and the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic was established.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan in April 1920 was a decisive campaign by Soviet Russia's 11th Army to eliminate one of the independent successor states that had emerged from the collapse of the Russian Empire. The operation coincided with an internal insurrection organized by local Azerbaijani Bolsheviks in Baku, combining external military pressure with internal subversion. The result was the dissolution of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the establishment of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, extending Soviet control over the South Caucasus and its strategically significant oil resources. The campaign formed part of the broader Soviet effort during the Russian Civil War to reincorporate former imperial territories under Bolshevik governance.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (11)