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Kurdistan Uyezd (Russian: Курдистанский уезд), also known colloquially as Red Kurdistan (from Kurdish Kurdistana Sor, Azerbaijani Qızıl Kürdistan, Russian Красный Курдистан) was a Soviet administrative unit that existed for six years from 1923 to 1929.^[1] Its capital was Lachin (Laçîn in Kurdish).

The presence of Kurds in today's Azerbaijan dated back to the 9th century. The area between Karabakh and Zangezur became inhabited by nomadic Kurdish tribes in the 18th century. Eventually, this population became the majority in most parts of the region, particularly around Lachin, Kalbajar (Kelbajar in Kurdish), and Qubadli (Qûbadlî in Kurdish).

Although commonly referred to as an okrug or an Autonomous Oblast, Red Kurdistan was neither. It was an uyezd, a typical administative unit much like any other in Azerbaijan, with no greater level of autonomy than any other uyezd. Kurdistan was created by the Soviet authorities to attract sympathies of Kurdish people in neighboring Iran and Turkey and take advantage of Kurdish movements in those countries. It was established on July 7, 1923, under the official name "Kurdistan Uyezd". The majority of Kurds in the region were Shi'a, unlike the Sunni Kurds of Nakhchivan (Sadarak, Teyvaz) and other areas of the Middle East. They were also more likely to speak Azeri as their first language rather than Kurdish. At the 1926 census, uyezd had a total population of 51,200 people, ethnic Kurds constituted 73.1%.

On April 8, 1929, the Kurdistan Uyezd was dissolved. On May 30, 1930, a Kurdistan Okrug was founded instead. Okrug included the territory of former uyezd and also entire Zangilan raion and part of Jabrayil raion. However, due to the protests of Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was concerned that open support of Kurdish movement could damage the relations with Turkey and Iran, the okrug was liquidated on July 23, 1930. In late 1930s Soviet authorities deported most of the Kurdish population of Azerbaijan and Armenia to Kazakhstan, and Kurds of Georgia also became victims of Stalin’s purges in 1944.^[2]

In 1992, after occupation of Lachin by Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the Lachin Kurdish Republic was declared in Armenia by a group led by Wekîl Mustafayev. However, since all the Kurdish population was expelled along with Azeris and found refuge in other regions of Azerbaijan this attempt failed. Mustafayev took refuge in Italy.

1. ^ (Russian) Russia and the problem of Kurds
2. ^ (Russian) Партизаны на поводке.

• Müller, Daniel “The Kurds and the Kurdish Language in Soviet Azerbaijan According to the All-Union Census of December 17, 1926”. The Journal of Kurdish Studies Vol. 3, pp. 61-84.
• Müller, Daniel. “The Kurds of Soviet Azerbaijan 1920-91” Central Asian Survey v.19 i.1 (2000), pp. 41-77.

• "Another Sad Story: Red Kurdistan"
• "The Red Kurdistan: geopolitical aspects of formation and abolishment"