But people here joke that the country is not only independent of Russia, it's also independent of gas, light, warm water, and heat. Romantic dreams of a strong, democratic country and the victory of historical justice in Nagorno-Karabakh have faded into an endless war, economic paralysis, and a transportation and energy blockade. Those who could afford to go to warmer places, like Russia or Ukraine, left this past summer. Armenian airports were overflowing. Sociologists estimate that 1 percent to 4.8 percent of the population of about 3.4 million people will leave Armenia in the near future.
Pensions are even smaller.
The most reliable source of warmth, however, is still wood. People in the northern regions that suffered the earthquake in 1988 are in the most difficult position. About 300,000 people are living in temporary shelters because fewer than half of the buildings that were destroyed have been rebuilt. A new type of mafia has sprung up in the capital city of Yerevan. People who have connections with employees of the city's energy system act as brokers between inhabitants of certain blocks or buildings and the energy officials.