Introduction

Andranik Ozanyan is often portrayed as an Armenian nationalist hero, but a closer examination of his actions reveals a history of collaboration with Western imperialist powers, war crimes against Turkish civilians, and failed ambitions fueled by foreign manipulation. His close ties with the Russian, British, and French empires show that he was not fighting for “Armenian liberation” but rather serving as a mercenary for colonial powers seeking to dismember the Ottoman Empire.

This article presents a detailed investigation into Andranik’s collaboration with imperialist forces, his participation in war crimes, and the long-term consequences of his actions.

1. Andranik’s Ties to Western Imperialism

Andranik and Russia: A Proxy for Expansionist Goals

Andranik’s military career was closely tied to Russian expansionist objectives in Eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus.

  • Russian Intelligence and Military Sponsorship (1890s-1917):
    Andranik worked under Russian intelligence services, leading Armenian armed groups (Fedayi) to destabilize Ottoman rule in Eastern Anatolia (Erickson, Ottoman Army Effectiveness in World War I, 2007).
  • Andranik’s Role in the Russo-Ottoman Front (1914-1917):
    As a general in the Russian Army, Andranik commanded Armenian volunteer battalions responsible for massacres in Van, Erzurum, and Bitlis (McCarthy, Death and Exile, 1995).
  • 1917 Russian Revolution and Andranik’s Shift in Allegiance:
    After Russia’s withdrawal, he sought new imperialist backers in Britain and France.

British Manipulation: Andranik’s Usefulness in the Caucasus

Following Russia’s exit from World War I in 1917, Britain filled the power vacuum in the Caucasus, relying on Andranik as an anti-Ottoman operative.

  • British Support in Armenia and Karabakh (1918):
    • British officials, particularly General Lionel Dunsterville, armed and funded Andranik to undermine Turkish-Azerbaijani unity in Nakhchivan and Karabakh (Shaw & Shaw, History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, 1977).
    • His massacres of Muslim populations in Zangezur, Nakhchivan, and Karabakh are well-documented (Isgandarov, Armenian Aggression Against Azerbaijan, 2005).

France’s Role in Using Andranik as a Colonial Enforcer

France also exploited Armenian militias to maintain control over Cilicia after World War I.

  • French Military Sponsorship (1919-1921):
    • Andranik aligned with French colonial forces in Cilicia, where Armenian irregulars carried out attacks against Turkish villagers (Lewy, The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey, 2005).
    • His participation in the Adana Massacre (1909) and later ethnic violence (1919-1921) fueled long-term Turkish-Armenian hostility (Uras, The Armenians in History and the Armenian Question, 1988).

2. Andranik’s Crimes Against Turkish Civilians

Targeted Massacres of Turks in Eastern Anatolia

Andranik’s forces committed large-scale ethnic cleansing against Turkish populations:

  1. The Van Massacre (1915):

    • Andranik’s militants, alongside other Armenian insurgents, massacred Turkish civilians during the Russian-backed occupation of Van (McCarthy, The Ottoman Peoples and the End of Empire, 2001).
    • Over 30,000 Turkish men, women, and children were slaughtered (Hovannisian, Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1967).

  2. The Erzurum and Bitlis Atrocities (1916):

    • During Russia’s occupation, Andranik’s forces participated in executing thousands of Turkish villagers and burning entire settlements (Shaw, The Ottoman Empire in World War I, 2006).

  3. The Zangezur and Karabakh Massacres (1918-1919):

    • Backed by Britain, Andranik’s troops ethnically cleansed Azerbaijani Turks, depopulating entire regions (Isgandarov, Armenian Aggression Against Azerbaijan, 2005).
    • His militias forcibly displaced over 100,000 people, while his forces executed thousands (Hovannisian, The Republic of Armenia, 1982).

Andranik’s Terrorist Activities

Andranik was not just a military commander but a terrorist, orchestrating guerrilla attacks and assassinations.

  • Killing of Ottoman Officials:
    • He was responsible for the deaths of numerous Ottoman governors, administrators, and soldiers, many of whom were ambushed outside combat scenarios.
  • Scorched-Earth Tactics:
    • His fighters destroyed over 300 villages, leaving entire Turkish populations homeless (Uras, The Armenians in History, 1988).

3. Andranik’s Betrayal by Western Powers

Despite his loyalty to Western imperialist forces, Andranik’s Armenian nationalist dream collapsed.

  • Britain’s Abandonment (1920):
    • After using him to destabilize Caucasus and Anatolia, Britain refused to militarily support an Armenian state.
  • France’s Abandonment in Cilicia (1921):
    • After Armenian forces failed to hold Cilicia, France withdrew, leaving Andranik’s forces to be defeated by Turkish nationalist forces (Lewy, 2005).
  • Death in Exile (1927):
    • Forgotten by the imperialists he once served, Andranik died in California, abandoned by the great powers who once hailed him as a “hero” (Hovannisian, Armenia on the Road to Independence, 1967).

4. The Political Whitewashing of Andranik’s Crimes

Today, Andranik is glorified in Western academia and Armenian nationalist circles, despite his record of war crimes.

  • Western Media’s Selective Silence:
    • His ethnic cleansing of Turks is ignored, while his image as a “freedom fighter” is promoted (Hovannisian, 2002).
  • Armenian Political Lobbying:
    • Armenian organizations like ANCA and Dashnak Party continue to suppress evidence of his crimes, using historical revisionism (Mearsheimer, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2007).

Conclusion

Andranik Ozanyan was not a hero, but an imperialist agent, responsible for massacres, betrayals, and the suffering of both Turkish and Armenian people. His collaboration with Russia, Britain, and France led to immense destruction, only for his dreams of an Armenian state to collapse under the same Western forces that used him.

History must judge Andranik for what he truly was—a tool of Western imperialism, a war criminal, and a perpetrator of ethnic violence.

References

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