War thunder spielerzahlen: War Thunder — Steam Charts

War Thunder — Steam Charts

Store
|
Hub

28560

playing

53836

24-hour peak

88331

all-time peak

Compare with others…

Month Avg. Players Gain % Gain Peak Players
Last 30 Days 48415.28 -202.8 -0.42% 88331
November 2022 48618.04 7357.26 +17.83% 88331
October 2022 41260.79 -1566.55 -3.66% 81733
September 2022 42827.33 184.84 +0.43% 74659
August 2022 42642.49 2813.80 +7.06% 66360
July 2022 39828. 69 -2696.50 -6.34% 57219
June 2022 42525.19 2162.81 +5.36% 65367
May 2022 40362.39 -3250.01 -7.45% 63781
April 2022 43612.39 4446.70 +11.35% 75998
March 2022 39165.69 9446.02 +31.78% 72842
February 2022 29719.67 652.93 +2.25% 51210
January 2022 29066.74 2485.07 +9.35% 45424
December 2021 26581.67 370.50 +1.41% 43703
November 2021 26211. 17 1124.67 +4.48% 47647
October 2021 25086.50 -93.31 -0.37% 42419
September 2021 25179.81 593.23 +2.41% 43439
August 2021 24586.58 1585.16 +6.89% 38188
July 2021 23001.42 -1870.04 -7.52% 33676
June 2021 24871.47 -670.46 -2.62% 39776
May 2021 25541.92 -2308.09 -8.29% 40505
April 2021 27850.01 -2173.20 -7.24% 63379
March 2021 30023. 21 1420.74 +4.97% 54451
February 2021 28602.47 1124.78 +4.09% 43065
January 2021 27477.69 441.49 +1.63% 39887
December 2020 27036.20 -1408.40 -4.95% 49784
November 2020 28444.60 7482.61 +35.70% 55865
October 2020 20961.98 -249.99 -1.18% 41463
September 2020 21211.97 -289.07 -1.34% 35475
August 2020 21501.04 2348.62 +12.26% 35019
July 2020 19152. 43 -1248.22 -6.12% 29402
June 2020 20400.64 -2076.35 -9.24% 32424
May 2020 22476.99 -2313.17 -9.33% 38871
April 2020 24790.16 4469.10 +21.99% 43584
March 2020 20321.06 5402.72 +36.22% 35377
February 2020 14918.34 1092.94 +7.91% 23963
January 2020 13825.40 437.01 +3.26% 21319
December 2019 13388.39 973.86 +7.84% 23388
November 2019 12414. 53 -132.89 -1.06% 21420
October 2019 12547.42 -8.00 -0.06% 22713
September 2019 12555.42 488.88 +4.05% 22878
August 2019 12066.54 1003.51 +9.07% 18688
July 2019 11063.03 -611.30 -5.24% 15867
June 2019 11674.33 -475.93 -3.92% 17809
May 2019 12150.26 -1144.40 -8.61% 20970
April 2019 13294.67 -180.66 -1.34% 25719
March 2019 13475. 33 1360.79 +11.23% 23410
February 2019 12114.54 -1305.72 -9.73% 20164
January 2019 13420.26 91.89 +0.69% 21094
December 2018 13328.36 1077.85 +8.80% 23243
November 2018 12250.51 -440.13 -3.47% 23467
October 2018 12690.64 749.80 +6.28% 26688
September 2018 11940.84 -27.96 -0.23% 22517
August 2018 11968.81 441.13 +3.83% 18655
July 2018 11527. 68 -844.41 -6.83% 17640
June 2018 12372.09 831.91 +7.21% 21592
May 2018 11540.18 -1643.31 -12.46% 19514
April 2018 13183.49 -248.09 -1.85% 25982
March 2018 13431.58 2340.62 +21.10% 27595
February 2018 11090.97 -524.35 -4.51% 19024
January 2018 11615.32 -264.09 -2.22% 19041
December 2017 11879.40 -72.34 -0.61% 20886
November 2017 11951. 74 1270.35 +11.89% 22828
October 2017 10681.39 216.59 +2.07% 20125
September 2017 10464.80 314.79 +3.10% 19330
August 2017 10150.01 770.04 +8.21% 15683
July 2017 9379.97 -924.09 -8.97% 15731
June 2017 10304.06 -485.13 -4.50% 18621
May 2017 10789.19 -41.28 -0.38% 20075
April 2017 10830.48 -163.76 -1.49% 22217
March 2017 10994. 24 164.92 +1.52% 21344
February 2017 10829.32 -518.62 -4.57% 18472
January 2017 11347.94 697.34 +6.55% 19324
December 2016 10650.60 725.75 +7.31% 20797
November 2016 9924.85 -1091.90 -9.91% 17816
October 2016 11016.75 1486.95 +15.60% 21819
September 2016 9529.80 -546.01 -5.42% 24737
August 2016 10075.81 379.47 +3.91% 17301
July 2016 9696. 34 -1382.98 -12.48% 14474
June 2016 11079.32 742.83 +7.19% 23531
May 2016 10336.49 -756.66 -6.82% 17740
April 2016 11093.15 -515.85 -4.44% 20631
March 2016 11608.99 1215.52 +11.70% 24087
February 2016 10393.47 -799.36 -7.14% 17810
January 2016 11192.82 -91.51 -0.81% 22378
December 2015 11284.34 -211.49 -1.84% 23811
November 2015 11495. 83 2406.41 +26.47% 35236
October 2015 9089.42 224.87 +2.54% 17817
September 2015 8864.56 -1320.00 -12.96% 15575
August 2015 10184.55 -938.94 -8.44% 15228
July 2015 11123.50 1068.95 +10.63% 18204
June 2015 10054.55 -3150.59 -23.86% 21073
May 2015 13205.13 1625.89 +14.04% 25134
April 2015 11579.25 -2705.65 -18.94% 24962
March 2015 14284. 90 1070.33 +8.10% 29480
February 2015 13214.57 2045.04 +18.31% 29040
January 2015 11169.53 814.94 +7.87% 23837
December 2014 10354.59 2160.78 +26.37% 22249
November 2014 8193.81 -746.84 -8.35% 17205
October 2014 8940.65 2649.49 +42.11% 24601
September 2014 6291.17 -1329.22 -17.44% 11178
August 2014 7620.39 115.81 +1.54% 15720
July 2014 7504. 58 -1101.69 -12.80% 11994
June 2014 8606.26 -2257.15 -20.78% 16117
May 2014 10863.41 3772.09 +53.19% 26228
April 2014 7091.33 1649.47 +30.31% 20438
March 2014 5441.85 -766.12 -12.34% 11541
February 2014 6207.97 -868.71 -12.28% 11730
January 2014 7076.68 250.93 +3.68% 12146
December 2013 6825.75 1210.67 +21.56% 22129
November 2013 5615. 08 -197.81 -3.40% 13218
October 2013 5812.89 -1774.08 -23.38% 12446
September 2013 7586.98 3467.68 +84.18% 18880
August 2013 4119.29 4119.25 +8575521.59% 12850
July 2013 0.05 -0.03 -40.99% 1
June 2013 0.08 0.08 +Inf% 2
May 2013 0.00 -0.02 -100.00% 0
April 2013 0.02 — — 1

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War Thunder Live Player Count and Statistics

War Thunder Live Player Counter

Live Counter

Live Players (LIVE)
Active Players (30D)
Twitch Viewers (30D)

Check out just how many are the War Thunder Live Player Count or the players currently playing the game. How many players playing it on a monthly average playing War Thunder each and every month. Together with the number of maximum players or peak players every month.

War of Thunder is a Free-to-play MMO vehicular war stragegy game. What’s really cool with this game is that you can play and pilot your favorite planes, ships, tanks and any war vehicles! The war simulator on this game is pretty accurate players love it and gamers stays. With over

Total War Thunder estimated concurrent players across all platforms such as PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Wii, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Mac, Android and iOS [?]. See below on which platform you can play this game.

Above is an estimate on War Thunder Live player count we have compiled these numbers using the most recent data from various online sources. War Thunder live count player count is the number of players currently playing War Thunder. This counter changes as you refresh this page since War Thunder players worldwide started sessions and ending gaming sessions.

War Thunder Live Monthly Player Count [CHART]

Live monthly statistics is the summary of the logged War Thunder monthly active players. We have also logged peak number of War Thunder players. Meaning the number of War Thunder players playing simultaneously at the same time. War Thunder We have gathered all the data and entered it on a chart for the users better understanding.

War Thunder Live Monthly Player Detailed [TABLE]

Here’s a detailed table of War Thunder estimated monthly users. On the table it is presented the max users of the game, gain / loss users, percentage of its gain and loss, and the max peak players on a given day.

War Thunder Available Platforms:

Where can you play War Thunder or the available platforms that you can play this game with.

Platform:
Availability:
Windows ✔️
Linux ✔️
MAC ✔️
XBOX ONE/Series ❌
PS3 ❌
PS4 ✔️
PS5 ✔️
Nintendo Switch ❌
Android ❌
iOS ❌

Frequently Asked Questions

How Many People Playing War Thunder?

There are approximately, 50,000 – 60,000 people play War Thunder concurrently meaning players that play all at the same time. This number is accounted for all the platform where you can play War Thunder see above where you can play War Thunder.

How Many People Playing War Thunder Daily?

It is estimated that there are approximately, 500,000 – 700,000 people play War Thunder on the daily basis across all platforms War Thunder is available to play.

War Thunder Is still popular in 2022?

When you check the charts it is pretty clear that War Thunder player base is continually rising meaning more and more players ae joining the game day by day. So yes, War Thunder is still popular this 2022 and we don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t.

Is War Thunder dead?

War Thunder is far from dead. In fact it is gaining more and more players since it’s initial release. So no, War Thunder won’t be dead any time soon.

Is War Thunder Free?

War Thunder is a free-to-play MMO war game. It’s 100% free to play. However, there are some items that you can buy within the game such as special passes and some war vehicles that can help you win.

Is War Thunder on Steam?

Yes, War Thunder is free to download on Steam. Though you are going to miss out a lot of really nice war items and vehicles if you are just going to stay free. You can download War Thunder on steam here.

Where to download War Thunder?

You can download War Thunder for free from their website https://warthunder.com/en. War Thunder is also listed on Steam so you can download from there too.

Can you play War Thunder on Mac?

Fortunately, yes! War Thunder is avaialable on Mac since December of 2016. However, it has system requirements to smoothly play the game. To download Mac version of War Thunder simply visit their website https://warthunder.com/en.

System Requirements for Mac device

Minimum:

  • At least Catalina v.10.15 or newer running operating system
  • At least Core i5, minimum 2. 2GHz (Intel Xeon is not supported)
  • At least 6 GB of RAM
  • Graphics of at least Intel Iris Pro 5200 (Mac), or analog from AMD/Nvidia for Mac. Minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p with Metal support.
  • An internet connection
  • At least 17 GB of free Hard drive memory.

About War Thunder

War Thunder is a free-to-play MMO that combines strategy, simulation and fast-paced action developed by Gaijin Entertainment. The game was released in November 2012, and the final version release was in December 2016. This game has a lot to offer; no wonder players have constantly been rising monthly.

War Thunder has been around for nearly a decade now and it’s still going strong! It’s got over 22 million registered users who log in every month to play. You know what’s is best with games that has a lot of players? This means that you’ll have plenty of people to play with!

The game puts you in the cockpit of various aircraft and armored vehicles, allowing you to take part in historical battles set in different arenas worldwide. You can choose from over 1000 models of aircraft and vehicles from over 60 countries. You can test your skills against other players or against AI-controlled enemies.

There are four main modes for playing: Arcade (fast-paced arcade mode), Realistic (more realistic gameplay), Simulator (realistic with advanced flight mechanics), and Full Control (more immersive controls).

Game Modes

War Thunder has several game modes you can choose from Air Combat, Ground Forces, Naval Battles, Simulator Missions, and Events.

In Air Combat mode, you can play against either other players or AI-controlled bots in one of three game types: Team Deathmatch, Team Dogfight, and Free Flight mode, where there are no teams, but the goal is to destroy as many enemy planes as possible before they shoot down yours.

Ground Forces mode puts you in control of tanks and other armored vehicles during land battles against both other players or AI bots in three different modes: Team Battle Mode, which allows up to 32 players per team; Squad Battle Mode which has up to 16 players on each team; and Free Battle Mode where there are no teams but the goal is to destroy as many enemy tanks as possible before they shoot down yours.

Naval Battles mode, you can choose from dozens of ship types and customize them with different guns, armor plating, engines, and more. You can also select your captain and crew based on their skills in battle.

You’ll have access to over 100 historically accurate ship models from all eras of naval history, including World War II ships like the Bismarck or Yamato battleship and modern ships like the Nimitz aircraft carrier or Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

Simulator Missions are a series of unique combat missions that you can play alone or with friends. They are not connected to any other game mode and do not affect your statistics, nor do they award any achievements or medals. However, the rewards received for completing missions will be credited to your account, allowing you to purchase new vehicles and other items in the game.

Tags: how many people play War Thunderhow many people playing War Thunder right nowplayer count live War Thunderplayer count War ThunderWar ThunderWar Thunder active players

War Thunder — frwiki.

wiki

War Thunder is a multiplayer video game that allows you to play free to play air combat, land and sea battle simulations using mainly stage vehicles from the Second World War and the Cold War, developed and published by the Russian studio Gaijin Entertainment. Announced in 2011, War Thunder first came out as an open beta on November before becoming available worldwide on PC , on PlayStation 4 at and on Xbox One at .

War Thunder allows the player to control a vehicle (airplane, tank, ship or helicopter) in battles where two teams of 16 players fight each other on a map for objective control. Three different game modes are available — arcade, realistic and simulation — with increasing difficulty, as well as a panel of 1800 cars of 9 different nationalities.

Since the release of War Thunder, has received several awards such as the Best Simulator award at Gamescom 2013. The game also holds two official Guinness World Records for «most aircraft in one». Flight Simulator. and have «the maximum number of players online at the same time on the flight simulator». In 2019, War Thunder is one of the most popular games on Steam with over 25,000 players playing at the same time on average.

Summary

  • 1 Game system

    • 1.1 Arcade battles
    • 1.2 Realistic battles
    • 1.3 Combat simulation
    • 1.4 Custom Battles
    • 1.5 Steady Confrontation
  • 2 Development

    • 2.1 Major updates
  • 3 House
  • 4 Notes and references
  • 5 Appendix

    • 5.1 Related articles
    • 5.2 External links

game system

In War Thunder , the player controls planes, helicopters, tanks, as well as ships from periods of history, from the interwar period to the present day (Yugoslav Wars, Cold War), with a special focus on World War II. Vehicles are divided among 9 different playable nations: USA, Germany, USSR, UK (including South Africa since the last «Ixwa Strike» update), Japan, France, Italy, China and Sweden. In addition, a European research tree was announced, bringing together the various factions from World War II (Netherlands, Romania, etc.).

The game experience of War Thunder is based on combined battles taking place simultaneously on land, at sea and in the air. According to the game’s creative director Kirill Yudintsev, this is the only game that allows you to experience all three environments in one game session. Game War Thunder typically lasts between 10 and 30 minutes and is played by two teams of 8-16 players. a map for performing various tasks (capturing points, destroying equipment …).

A wide range of naval, land and air maps are available, showing both iconic World War II locations (Normandie, Berlin, Stalingrad, Midway, etc.) and more modern landscapes (Middle East, Alaska, etc. ). etc.). only about 130 cards.

Damage and device physics are relatively realistic, so vehicles don’t have a health bar. Instead, each vehicle is divided into several main components (engine, armament, fuel tanks, ammunition, transmission, turret traverse mechanism in the tank…). Based on the trajectory of bullets and projectiles, their type of damage (explosive or kinetic), the angle and thickness of the armor, the game calculates which components or crew members are hit. As a result, damaged components are taken out of service and will need to be repaired, requiring the vehicle to be shut down or the aircraft to return to the airfield. As such, the game requires some knowledge of vehicles in order to know their strengths and weaknesses, such as the location of ammunition which, on impact, explodes and instantly destroys the vehicle.

In each game, the player receives experience and silver lions (in-game currency), which allows him to unlock new cars, improve them or improve the skills of his team. Each nation has its own research tree, divided into land, air and naval forces, which starts with older vehicles and progresses to newer ones.

The game is currently available on Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Mac OS X and Windows, and Xbox One, Xbox Series X. A mobile version for iOS and Android is reportedly under development. War Thunder is also cross-platform, meaning PC players can play against PlayStation 4 players on the same server.

Arcade mode battles

In arcade mode battles, two teams (up to 32 people in total, or 16 per team) face planes, tanks or ships from different countries with the same levels. In this game mode, the cursor helps to aim in air combat and tanks, the colored cursor indicates the probability of a projectile hitting the enemy and automatically takes into account the drop of projectiles. The power of the vehicle engines and their resistance are overestimated. All players, enemies, and allies are indicated by a colored cursor on the minimap, as well as in the game, even if they are hidden behind a rock or bush. When the vehicle is destroyed, you can choose another one that has a maximum of 3 respawns in a tank and a ship, and 4 respawns in aircraft. In ground combat mode, helicopters or planes are available through the «air combat» mode, which is offered approximately every 4 minutes. It simply consists of providing the player with aerial vehicles adapted to the «battle rating» of the fight. To access this mode, the player only needs to complete a special objective (destroying opposing players).

Realistic battles

Realistic battles are for players who want to control planes and pilot tanks with more realistic physics and historical background (tanks, planes and ships can be mixed in one game). Unlike the arcade mode, players are assigned to a team according to the chosen nation, allowing for a realistic scenario to be recreated, such as the Battle of Stalingrad between the Soviet Union and the Third Reich, for example. However, there are also0003 mixed battles where all nations are mixed like in an arcade.

In this game mode, the damage is more realistic and the aim is less simple. Indeed, it is necessary to take into account the dropout of a bullet or projectile and correct its shot manually, without the help of a sight. And because of realistic g-forces, abrupt maneuvers at high speeds can lead to black pilot sails and broken wings. The engine power of tanks and ships, as well as the aircraft flight pattern, are more realistic. Enemies don’t spawn on the minimap (unlike arcade mode) unless they’re hit by projectiles, requiring some strategy. Enemies are not marked with a color indicator in the game, which gives real importance to camouflage and allows, in particular in a tank, to use decorations to hide (bushes, buildings…). During the game, the player collects respawn points, obtained through various in-game activities, which allow him, if he has enough, to respawn up to 4 times per game. However, during a bad game, only one respawn is possible. In addition, he can choose a car different from the previous one. For the same game, the reward in the form of experience and silver lions is higher in realistic mode than in arcade mode, which is justified by its higher difficulty, so realistic mode is popular among players who want to unlock new ones as quickly as possible. .

Combat Simulation

This mode is based on realistic simulation settings where only first person view is allowed in the cockpit for aircraft and the gunner or turret pilot for tanks. The flight physics are at a high level of realism, accurately reflect the characteristics of the airframe, and preferably require a joystick to properly control your aircraft. Simulator mode is similar to historical battles, but the realism of the game at this level is even higher. Thus, for tanks, it is necessary to take into account not only the dropout of the projectile, but also the displacement of the sight relative to the gun. In addition, allied and enemy tanks are no longer highlighted with colored sliders. Thus, this game mode requires a lot of knowledge of the vehicles and their nationality in order not to confuse an ally with an enemy. When destroying a vehicle, there are several scenarios. On a plane, each respawn costs Silver Lions and must be done on the same vehicle. In the tank, as well as in realistic mode, respawn is possible, but only with the same technique.

Custom Battles

This is a game mode that allows free games, with a choice of game mode (arcade, realistic, simulation) and with the type of vehicle the player desires (boat, plane, tank, helicopter).

Steady Confrontation

In helicopter combat, the player must capture several air sectors to gain air superiority. The front line separating the two parts of the map (one side for each team) advances or retreats depending on the captured sectors. After the capture of a sector, columns with weapons, ammunition and equipment are delivered to this sector. These convoys must be protected by their own crew.

Development

Development of the game started in 2009 under the name World of Planes , it was changed to War Thunder, to avoid confusion with its similar competitor World of Warplanes . Gaijin Entertainment uses its accumulated experience in setting precedents for combat flight simulators such as IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey , Apache: Air Assault and Birds of Steel (in), to develop War Thunder .

Several civil and military pilots from Russia, the CIS, the USA and Austria took an active part in the alpha testing of the game version

Major updates

New content is regularly added to the original game to enrich the gameplay experience. This content is released through major updates:

Version number original title French name Issue date
2.7 Red Sky Red Sky June 2, 2021
2.5 Iksva blow Iksva blow March 10, 2021
2.3 Hot tracks Hot tracks
2. 1 New Power New Power
1.101 Rain of Fire Fire Rain
1.99.1 Regia Marina Regia Marina
1.99 Fighters Starhunters
1.97 Fury of the Vikings Fury of the Vikings
1.95 North wind North wind
1. 93 Shark Attack Shark attack
1.91 Night vision Night vision
1.89 Imperial Navy Imperial Navy
1.87 Locked Locked
1.85 Supersonic Supersonic
1.83 Masters of the Sea! Ocean Masters
1. 81 Valkyries Valkyries
1.79 Project X Project X
1.77 Coming Storm Storm notice
1.75 Resistance Resistance
1.73 Long live France Long live France
1.71 New era New era
1. 69 Regia Aeronautica Regia Aeronautica
1.67 Attack Attack
1.65 Way of the Samurai Way of the Samurai
1.63 Desert Hunters Desert Hunters
1.61 Road to Glory Roads to glory
1.59 Flaming Arrows Flaming Arrows
1. 57 Battle March Offensive March
1.55 Royal armor Royal armor
1.53 Firestorm Firestorm
1.51 Cold steel Cold Steel
1.49 (1.70.1945) Weapon of Victory Weapon of Victory
1.47 Big guns Large caliber
1. 45 Steel Generals Steel Generals
1.43
1.41
1.39
1.37
1.35
1.33
1. 31
1.29

Home

War Thunder scored 16/20 on Jeuxvideos.com. The game is sometimes criticized for very slow progress and taking too long. Indeed, it takes several hundred hours of play to unlock all the vehicles of one nation out of 9 available.

Notes and links

  1. ↑ (en-GB) eTeknix.com, « War Thunder Wins Best Simulation Award at Gamescom 2013 «, on eTeknix, (accessed June 11, 2020) .
  2. ↑ (en-GB) « Most aircraft in flight simulation game » in Guinness World Records (accessed June 11, 2020) .
  3. ↑ (en-GB) « Most players online at the same time on the same Flight Simulation server «, in Guinness World Records (as of June 11, 2020) .
  4. ↑ (en-US) Alessio Palumbo, « Steam Shows the Top Selling and Most Played Games of 2019 «, on Wccftech, (accessed June 11, 2020) .
  5. ↑ a b c and d « War Thunder Game Review » on Jeuxvideo.com (accessed June 11, 2020) .
  6. ↑ (in) « Exclusive interview for the 7th anniversary of War Thunder with creative director Kirill Yudintsev » on MMORPG.com, (as of June 11, 2020) .
  7. ↑ « Category: Maps and Missions — War Thunder Wiki » on wiki.warthunder.com (accessed June 11, 2020) .
  8. ↑ WarThunder will be cross-platform PC for PS4.

Application

Related Articles

  • Wargaming
  • IL-2 Sturmovik (video game)

Competing games for War Thunder :

  • Warplane World
  • World of Tanks
  • Warship World
  • IENT Warbirds

External links

  • Official website
  • (in) War Thunder Wiki

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Thunder of war. How climbers met the war in the mountains of Artsakh – Armenian Museum of Moscow and the culture of nations , mountaineering, Artsakh, peace, people, justice

Waking up in the morning and getting out of the tents, we admired nature — wooded mountains, on which the snow-white morning fog caught on and did not want to say goodbye, the Terter River, jumping over stones and running away into the distance — between the mountains, into the same fog. No one wanted to talk, so Anatoly silently began to collect wood chips and make a fire, Olga, also without uttering a word, spread a tablecloth on the grass, I lit the burner to make quick coffee… The rest of our multinational team was still asleep. Some ended up in Armenia for work or were on a tourist trip, but the coronavirus quarantine and closed roads left them in this country for several months.

© Alena Dandina

Stirring coffee, I noticed the peals of thunder, which either grew, then subsided, then thundered as if the sky was shelling the earth with them. The thunder was picked up by the mountain echo and carried around. Before going hiking in Artsakh (Karabakh), we looked at the weather forecast for September 26 and 27: on Saturday evening it was intermittent rain (it was, yes), on Sunday morning it was cloudy, but without rain.

“Some strange thunder,” I said to Olga, and she silently agreed. A minute later, another thought came — these are military exercises: we are on the very border. Artsakh is a small piece of heavenly land, everywhere you look there are borders that Armenians have to guard and hold to the creak of bones, to straining of veins, to the last breath of life.

After a couple of hours, our campground began to revive. People pulled themselves up to the tablecloth, which Olga spread out. On the «table» was already a modest breakfast of scrambled eggs and tomatoes, quickly cooked by the Kurdish Shamal on the fire. But we didn’t have time to eat breakfast. The field was bustling. Other hikers began to hastily gather. Men in camouflage came up to us and said that at seven o’clock in the morning Azerbaijan began shelling not only border villages, which have been0’s at gunpoint, but also Stepanakert. «This is already a war!» — said one of them and hurried to the other marching groups, who were not yet aware that the morning thunder is far from a natural phenomenon.

© Alena Dandina

We have gathered together tents and sleeping bags. A chicken that had come from nowhere was running around us, trying to get to the tablecloth to peck at the crumbs.

The clearing around the hot springs quickly emptied. There is one car left. A fat man in swimming trunks stood on a hill near the spring with the same chicken in his hands, which he managed to twist his neck and scald in hot water — a typical image of grotesque art.

After twenty kilometers of off-road through the forest, destroyed by the first war, but still inhabited by a small number of villagers, we had to enter a 600-meter tunnel, in which two oncoming cars could not pass. But we did not have time to get there — several cars rushed towards us at speed. One of them stopped, and the driver said, they say, turn around, the tunnel was bombed, the Sotsky pass to Vardenis was under fire, and Vardenis itself, which is located on the territory of Armenia, was injured.

Turn around. Where to go, what to do — there was no clear understanding. But a group of fourteen people, including children, held firm. Only Alice escalated the situation, constantly calling her man on roaming and telling what horror we were in, and getting the driver with questions “where are we going?”, “I should know where this road leads?”. And we didn’t know where we were going and where the road led — we were guided by other cars, from which we kept our distance.

People fled from the houses of those very sparsely populated villages, mostly old men and women with small children, some with bags, some light, on the way they were picked up by cars already full to capacity. Men in camouflage and with weapons stood at the fork in the road and directed everyone towards the destroyed school in the abandoned village: there is a bomb shelter there.

I don’t know what this village was called before and whether it is on the map, but I’m sure many will remember it as a saving place, no matter how deplorable it is.

© Alena Dandina

Women and children sat on chairs and old mesh beds in the shelter in dim light. It was amazing that none of the babies cried. There was deathly silence. We, silently, went into the depths of the shelter, where there were empty places and where there was no light, only at the end there was an opening in the wall, depressingly illuminating the heaps of stones.

Alice began to sob — several women reacted to her crying in silence, came up, began to calm, cheer, barely holding back tears. Alice’s ten-year-old son sat silently. I put my hand on the shoulder of the Armenian woman, on whose lap a one-year-old girl was sitting, and she spoke with pain: “There are my two sons. And this is my granddaughter. You also pray…

I sat down on an empty chair in a dark corner next to an Armenian woman surrounded by three little girls.

— Alena? she suddenly spoke, calling my name, and it sounded so unexpected and strange, given the situation in which we were. — Remember, a few years ago you spent the night in our house. I’m Laura, remember?

Indeed, the ways of the Lord are inscrutable. Could it be imagined that I would again meet those kind people who sheltered our company in their village house a few years ago when we knocked on their door at night.

— And Karinka, where is Karinka? — I remembered the name of Laura’s daughter, that same twelve-year-old amazing girl who in the morning, three years ago, looked into my sleepy face, waiting for me to wake up completely. And so, the guest got up from the bed, washed herself, Karinka gave a towel, continuing to look with interest. And then, so trustingly, she took her hand and said: «Alena, let’s go, I’ll show you the most beautiful place on earth. »

We passed through an autumn garden, climbed a hillock, from where a view of the surroundings opened: rocky mountains overgrown with rich forest, a ruined village — ruins and a few poor houses, a bumpy road. Yes, the place made a depressing impression. But Karinka’s eyes burned with admiration, and it was contagious, I believed unconditionally.

© Alena Dandina

And now, along the corridor of a miserable bomb shelter, a beautiful girl Karina, who has already taken shape, is walking towards me. It was like slow motion. Then everyone around fussed, got together. Karinka and I hugged for a second, then she took the little ones by the hands, helped her mother to pack her things, and they headed for the exit.

The bomb shelter was immediately empty. There was one woman with a baby-baby and we.

I went out into the yard and went, as it seemed to me, to the coordinator Vanik, who was seating people in cars, and asked:

— What should we do? Which road to take? Do you have a connection, what is happening at the Sotsky pass?

The man pointed to two cars, in one of which Karinka was already sitting with her mother and nephews:

— Follow them, they will lead you through Kelbajar to a dirt road, along which you can get to Vardenis.

We drove, again keeping a distance from each other. Here is the tunnel. We peer into the darkness. Everything is quiet. Cars are heading only in one direction — towards the border in an attempt to leave the danger zone.

© Alena Dandina

At the turn to Kelbajar (now Karvachar), the military looked into the car, the documents were not checked. Bustle, a lot of transport, a lot of people… From the highway we turned onto a dirt road, and reached the city. Several men were standing by the road, trying to put elderly parents and children into cars heading towards Yerevan. We took a grandfather and two granddaughters. Then a little further — grandmother and grandson. Without things and documents. There is a small post at the exit from Karvachar. Again, no one checked the documents, they only asked: “Are there Karabakhis in the car?” — «Yes» — «Astvats pahi» («May God protect you»). Let’s go further.

Everyone in Armenia knows that the highest pass, Meghri, runs through a height of 2535 meters above sea level. So, no, there is a pass that is higher, and there is a dirt road, albeit difficult, through a height of 2565, which connects Artsakh with Armenia. Few people travel along this road, everyone uses two routes — either through Goris-Lachin or through Vardenis. Towards — a lot of military and private cars, driving around on a narrow serpentine is difficult, but everyone treats each other understandingly, inferior to those who are heading to Artsakh. And the nature around is heavenly — alpine meadows, picturesque mountains. The picture is overshadowed by the ruins of houses — witnesses of the Karabakh war at the beginning of 90’s. Our team, in order to support each other and distract from the situation, enthusiastically reacts to the landscapes outside the window.

© Alena Dandina

It was probably the longest and most strenuous road to the city of Vardenis, which was also attacked.

Vardenis met with many military vehicles and people on the streets — in camouflage, with weapons. Entering the city, a stupid thought for that situation came to my mind: where is my mask, we still have a mask regime. But — everyone was no longer up to masks.

Cellular communication appeared in Vardenis, and everyone began to read the news, call their relatives to say that they were alive, they got out of Karabakh, but the situation there is very difficult. In response, they heard: “Drive faster than Vardenis, it’s not safe there!”. After conferring, we decided to stop for five minutes to buy vodka and go to the toilet to wash off the dust after a difficult road.

Passing through Lake Sevan, we made a halt to have a bite to eat. In the trunk we had a huge pot with the same scrambled eggs and tomatoes, which we did not have time to eat in the morning. We quickly set the table in the gazebo, lit a fire, warmed up breakfast for dinner. Our forced companions — grandfather, grandmother and their grandchildren, feeling somewhat confused, refused to eat, but it was clear that they were hungry and cold .

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