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On which sides did Armenian soldiers and volunteer units fight during World War I?
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Armenian Genocide
Overview of the history and controversy surrounding the Armenian Genocide.
During World War I, Armenians served on both sides of the conflict, reflecting the geopolitical divisions of the era:
- Ottoman Empire: Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire fought as soldiers in the Ottoman army. Despite their service, the Ottoman government—increasingly suspicious of its Armenian subjects—later used the pretext of national security to blame and persecute these troops, particularly following the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Sarıkamış in early 1915.12
- Russian Empire: Armenian volunteer units, composed of Russian subjects, fought on the side of the Triple Entente alongside Russian forces.1
The Young Turk government had initially proposed that the Armenian political party Dashnaktsutyun encourage all Armenians to fight for the Ottoman Empire. However, the party maintained that Armenian subjects should remain loyal to their respective empires, a stance the Young Turk leadership viewed as an act of treachery. This suspicion contributed to the systematic deportation and mass killing of the Armenian population, an event now recognized as one of the early genocides of the 20th century.134