Seeking to fragment any possible source of resistance to Moscow's authority, Stalin split the Armenian nation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. When the USSR fell apart, the outlook seemed bleak for the Nagorno-Karabagh Armenians locked uncomfortably into Azerbaijan. Random pogroms were followed by systematic ethnic cleansing. And armed resistance. Oil-rich Azerbaijan cracked down and a bloody conflict ensued in which elements of the old Soviet military machine were put to the test in unexpected ways. Afghan Mujahidin, Chechen terrorists and missing nuclear weapons all played roles in Nagorno-Karabagh's struggle to survive.