 A date in late April was chosen for the commencement of the operation, which called for Soviet troops to surround the towns and search the villages for both illegally procured weapons and Armenian guerrilla fighters.Reacting to the growing violence, Gorbachev had also assigned units of the Soviet 4th Army's predominantly Azerbaijani 23rd Motorized Rifle Division, stationed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, to serve as a buffer force.The 23rd Division and other elements of the Fourth Army were selected along with the Azerbaijani OMON to take part in Ring.