Trained as a historian with a particular interest in the ongoing collapse of the Soviet Union, I decided to go to Nagorno-Karabakh in the summer of 2022. As a Russian citizen, I had to obtain a de facto visa from the Nagorno-Karabakh embassy in Yerevan. The required document – a simple sheet of paper, containing my name and passport number – explicitly listed the conditions of my journey. I was permitted to visit Stepanakert, Martakert, Martuni, and Askeran from 1 to 4 July. One sentence, however, stood out and indicated the possible fragility of the status quo: my right to move was affirmed “with the exception of the front line.” On my way out of the Karabakh representation in the Armenian capital, an embassy worker reminded me that the peacekeepers should not be photographed – “you will pass them and you will be free.” I forgot to ask any questions about the checkpoints. The only way to reach Stepanakert from Armenia leads through the Lachin corridor, a mountainous road connecting the south-eastern tip of Armenia around Goris with the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Otherwise surrounded by Azerbaijani territory, the Lachin corridor was a lifeline for the Armenian population, providing for stocked supermarkets and pharmaceutical goods in Nagorno-Karabakh.