What life is really like for teenagers on the front line

Living in limbo — Emanuele Amighetti’s latest project, ‘Unrecognized Nation, Forgotten War’, explores the reality behind the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been a long one. It seems like the world just views these countries – particularly the landlocked region of Nagorno-Karabakh – as one big conflict zone.

The troubles started in 1988, escalating into a full-scale war when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. It left 65,000 ethnic Armenians and 40,000 ethnic Azeris displaced. Today, soldiers are still defending their positions over the frontline, despite an official ceasefire being signed. This is regularly broken, with casualties on both sides.

A few days after I first got there in April this year, the International Crisis Group published a deep and detailed report about Nagorno-Karabakh’s current situation. They pointed out how Armenia and Azerbaijan were closer to war than in any time since 1994. It made me realise that a ‘frozen conflict’ can escalate into a war in a very short time. It also made me realise how our lives can go on without being aware of what is happening a few hours flight away from us.

My project, Unrecognized Nation, Forgotten War, focuses on the young Artsakh citizens who are forced to become soldiers. Between the ages of 13-18, they wear uniforms and train in a military academy. Their everyday life is stuck in a military limbo, caused by a war that’s seen as normal and necessary – a war they grew up with. That’s what it means living in a region stalked by conflict: security measures trump most other considerations.

I arrived exactly one year after the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes, which saw the fighting escalate into a proper war. I decided to document what the conflict left behind and the influence it had, and still has, on the young military. On the front line, young soldiers take care of their enemy’s actions. In the military academy, they learn maths, history and English, after physical exercises and marches.

I wanted to humanise these young boys and girls, to explore their reactions. Instead, what I found was an extreme carefreeness. I broke up with all the prejudices I had.

I learnt how it’s possible to feel the same as everyone else, even if you are born and live in an apparently different universe. I didn’t see any pain. I saw the same desires that I saw in countries we are able to live well in.

I am attracted to our relationships with the past and the present, and how human beings react to hardship. In this project, I wanted to investigate the sense of confusion that teenagers in war must feel.  The aim was to give a sense of what they experience, their sufferings and personal reactions. The incredible dignity I found is what constantly inspires me.

Text has been edited for length and clarity. 

More of Emanuele Amighetti’s work can be seen on his official website and Instagram.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Sport

Is the UK ready for a Kabaddi boom?

Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi — Watched by over 280 million in India, the breathless contact sport has repeatedly tried to grip British viewers. Ahead of the Kabaddi World Cup being held in Wolverhampton this month, Kyle MacNeill speaks to the gamechangers laying the groundwork for a grassroots scene.

Written by: Kyle MacNeill

Culture

One photographer’s search for her long lost father

Decades apart — Moving to Southern California as a young child, Diana Markosian’s family was torn apart. Finding him years later, her new photobook explores grief, loss and connection.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Culture

As DOGE stutters, all that remains is cringe

Department of Gargantuan Egos — With tensions splintering the American right and contemporary rap’s biggest feud continuing to make headlines, newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains how fragile male egos stand at the core of it all.

Written by: Emma Garland

Culture

Photo essay special: Despite pre-Carnival anxiety, Mardi Gras 2025 was a joyous release for New Orleans

A city celebrates — Following a horrific New Year’s Day terror attack and forecasts for extreme weather, the Louisiana city’s marquee celebration was pre-marked with doubt. But the festival found a city in a jubilant mood, with TBow Bowden there to capture it.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Sport

From his skating past to sculpting present, Arran Gregory revels in the organic

Sensing Earth Space — Having risen to prominence as an affiliate of Wayward Gallery and Slam City Skates, the shredder turned artist creates unique, temporal pieces out of earthly materials. Dorrell Merritt caught up with him to find out more about his creative process.

Written by: Dorrell Merritt

Music

In Bristol, pub singers are keeping an age-old tradition alive

Ballads, backing tracks, beers — Bar closures, karaoke and jukeboxes have eroded a form of live music that was once an evening staple, but on the fringes of the southwest’s biggest city, a committed circuit remains.

Written by: Fred Dodgson

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...