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Battle of Shusha (2020)

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Battle of Shusha
Part of 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war

Map of the battle as of 8 November 2020:
  Controlled by Artsakh
  Controlled by Azerbaijan
  Disputed
(For a more detailed map, see military situation in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war)
Date4 November 2020 (2020-11-04) – 7 November 2020 (2020-11-07) (3 days)
Location
Shusha, Azerbaijan
Result

Azerbaijani victory

Belligerents
 Azerbaijan
Commanders and leaders
Units involved

Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Ministry of Internal Affairs

Artsakh Defence Army

Armed Forces of Armenia
National Security Service[6]
Strength

Per Azerbaijan:

Per Armenia:

  • 6,000 soldiers near the city[10]

Per Armenia:

Per Azerbaijan:

  • 2,000+ servicemen[9]
Casualties and losses

Per Azerbaijan:

Per Armenia:

  • 200+ servicemen killed near the city[13]
  • Dozens injured[13]

Per Armenia:

  • 300+ servicemen killed[14]
  • Hundreds of servicemen missing[15]

Per Azerbaijan:

  • 800+ servicemen killed[16]
  • 2,000+ servicemen killed in total (per Russia)[17]
  • ~4,500 Armenians displaced (per Artsakh)[18]

    • The Battle of Shusha (Azerbaijani: Şuşa döyüşü or Şuşa uğrunda döyüş; Armenian: Շուշիի ճակատամարտ, romanized: Shushii chakatamart),[19][20] referred to by Azerbaijanis as the Liberation of Shusha (Azerbaijani: Şuşanın azad edilməsi; Şuşanın qurtuluşu),[21][22][23] and the Operation Shusha (Azerbaijani: Şuşa əməliyyatı),[24][25] was a battle fought between the armed forces of Azerbaijan and the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, militarily supported by Armenia, over the control of the city of Shusha, during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

    Shusha, and the surrounding mountainous terrain, is one of the most strategically important locations in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region,[26][27] and is usually referred to as the "beating heart" of the region.[21][28] Until the middle of the 19th century, the city was considered the cultural and political centre of the regional Azerbaijani population,[29] while for Armenians, Shusha also has a religious significance,[30] as it houses the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, which was the seat of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church until the end of the war,[31] and the city had served as a defensive backbone within the Nagorno-Karabakh, connecting the capital, Stepanakert, to the town of Goris in Armenia via the Lachin corridor.[32] The city was captured by the Armenian Armed Forces in 1992, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, and its predominantly Azerbaijani population was expelled from it.[33]

    Advancing from the city of Jabrayil,[34] the Azerbaijani military captured the town of Hadrut in mid-October.[35] Azerbaijani forces then advanced further north, entering Shusha District through its forests and mountain passes.[36][37] Although Shusha had been under bombardment since the beginning of the conflict, local warfare erupted near the city on 29 October. Azerbaijan seized control of the village of Chanagchi,[38] followed by part of the strategic Shusha–Lachin road on 4 November, with Armenian forces subsequently closing the road to civilians.[39] Le Monde reported that the battle had turned in favour of Azerbaijan on 6 November, despite Artsakh's denial.[40]

    The Azerbaijani special forces,[3] through the rocky cliffs of the city, and without any heavy equipment, entered Shusha on 7 November.[35] They soon drove Armenians out of the city, and on 8 November, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated that Azerbaijani forces had taken control of Shusha; Armenia issued a denial.[41] The next day, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence released a video from the city, confirming full Azerbaijani control.[28] On the same day, the Artsakh's self-proclaimed Presidential Office confirmed that it had lost control of Shusha,[42][43] although this was later contradicted by statements from Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan,[44] and the Armenian Ministry of Defence.[45] Following the signing of the ceasefire agreement, self-declared President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan reiterated that Artsakh had lost control of the city on 7 November,[46] and Pashinyan admitted the loss of the city.[47] Giving Azerbaijan a strategic superiority,[48] the capture of Shusha became a decisive moment in the war,[28][35] where Azerbaijan recorded a victory a few days after it.[49][50][51]

    Background

    Further information: First Nagorno-Karabakh War and Battle of Shusha (1992)
    Shusha city square in 2014.

    Shusha, referred to by Armenians as Shushi, is the second-largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh, South Caucasus. It is de jure part of the Shusha District of Azerbaijan, although it had been controlled by the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh since the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, as part of its Shushi Province. The city is located at an altitude of 1,300–1,600 meters above sea level,[52] about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the regional capital Stepanakert, referred to by Azerbaijanis as Khankendi.[53] The two settlements are separated by a valley,[54] and Shusha, which serves as a buffer zone for Stepanakert,[21] and is situated in mountainous terrain overlooking the region, has been described as a "strategic height from where one could keep all Nagorno-Karabakh under control".[55][56][57] The strategic town is popularly referred to as an "unassailable" mountain fortress by both Armenians and Azerbaijanis.[58] A key road connecting Goris in Syunik Province, southern Armenia, to Stepanakert passes through the Lachin corridor via Shusha;[59] the only other major road connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh passes through the Murovdağ mountains in the northern Kalbajar District.[60]

    In 1923, during Soviet rule, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was created, with Shusha, a predominantly Azerbaijani-populated city,[61] chosen as its administrative centre.[62] In February 1988, the government of Armenian-majority NKAO voted in favour of seceding from Azerbaijan and unifying with Armenia,[63] leading to a wider ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis living in the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Armenians and Azerbaijanis vied to take control of Karabakh and the fighting had escalated into full-scale warfare by early 1992. By then, the enclave had declared its independence and set up an unrecognised government.[64] On 8 May 1992, Armenian forces captured Shusha, and its Azerbaijani population, which made up 85.5% of the city's population in 1979,[65][66] was forced to flee.[33]

    The city has historical, political and cultural importance for both Armenians and Azerbaijanis.[67][68][69] Shusha holds particular cultural significance to Azerbaijanis, who consider the city to be their historical capital in the region,[70] while the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, which is located in the city and was the seat of the Diocese of Artsakh of the Armenian Apostolic Church until the end of the war,[31] has religious significance to the Armenians.[30] The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, had frequently described retaking the city as one of the war's key objectives. In an October 16 interview with Turkish television, Aliyev said that "without Shusha, our cause will be unfinished",[71] while the self-declared Armenian President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, called Shusha "one of our greatest legacies we have inherited from our ancestors".[72] Despite the symbolic importance of the town, the International Crisis Group's Azerbaijani analyst Zaur Shiriyev stated that it remained unclear whether the capture of Shusha was a military or political target,[71] while according to Azerbaijani political analyst Fuad Shahbazov, the victory of Azerbaijani forces in Shusha would be "perceived as a moral victory for Azerbaijanis, whether they are on the front or not", which will also lead to "serious demoralization" among Armenian soldiers.[21]

    Prelude

    Main articles: 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Aras Valley campaign, and Battle of Hadrut

    On 27 September 2020, clashes broke out in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is de facto controlled by the self-proclaimed and unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, but de jure part of Azerbaijan.[73] Azerbaijani forces first advanced in Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts, taking their respective administrative centres.[34] From there, they proceeded towards Hadrut.[74] Azerbaijani troops began to advance more intensively after the fall of Hadrut around 15 October, and Armenians began to retreat, with Azerbaijanis then taking control of Zangilan and Qubadli.[35] Launching an offensive for Lachin,[75] they also penetrated into Shusha District through its forests and mountain passes.[36][37]

    Shusha had been under sporadic artillery fire from the beginning of the war. On 8 October, Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha reportedly came under bombardment and was seriously damaged;[76] Azerbaijan denied any responsibility.[77] Throughout October, reports emerged that Shusha, as well as villages nearby, were being rocketed and shelled by Azerbaijani forces,[78][79] while Azerbaijan denied shelling the city.[80] On 28 October, Artsakh authorities stated that the situation in Chanagchi, located several kilometres south-east of Shusha, was "tense";[38] The next day, Armenian Ministry of Defence stated that clashes were taking place in the village,[81] and the self-proclaimed President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, stated that Azerbaijani forces were already 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Shusha.[82] On 30 October, clashes were reported to have erupted near Shusha,[83] especially Dashalty.[84] On the same day, an Abkhazian Network News Agency correspondent reported that large explosions were heard near the city.[85] The next day, Artsakh authorities stated that Shusha had again come under bombardment.[86] On 2 November, Armenian MoD reported that fierce clashes were taking place near Shusha.[87]

    Before the battle, in late October and early November, both Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of using white phosphorus near Shusha.[88] On 30 October, Artsakh authorities had accused Azerbaijani forces of using phosphorus to burn forests near Shusha;[89] Azerbaijan issued a denial.[90] On 20 November, Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan filed a lawsuit, accusing the Armenian Armed Forces of using chemical munitions to "inflict large-scale and long-term harm to the environment" around Shusha,[91] while Azerbaijani authorities had also stated that the Armenian forces were transporting white phosphorus into the region.[92] The use of white phosphorus is strictly regulated under an international agreement that neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan had signed.[93]

    Battle

    The Azerbaijani special forces were led by Hikmat Mirzayev (left),[94] while the Armenian forces were commanded by Seyran Ohanyan (right).[5][95]

    According to Azerbaijani accounts, the Azerbaijani forces continued on foot towards Shusha for five days, as both the terrain and the route were not suitable for vehicles.[8] This was reiterated by the Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev later on, who stated that the Azerbaijani forces had crossed ravines, forests and mountains to reach the city.[96] On 4 November, Armenian authorities reported that clashes continued near Shusha.[97] Subsequently, Armenian forces closed the Shusha–Lachin road to civilians,[39] trapping 80 journalists within the enclave, according to Reporters Without Borders.[98] Armenian authorities stated that Shusha was heavily shelled on the morning of 5 November,[99] and that clashes continued the following day.[100] The Russian media reported that Azerbaijani forces managed to surround the city from three sides–the south, west, and east.[101] On 6 November, Le Monde reported that the battle had turned in favour of Azerbaijan, despite a denial by Artsakh.[40] In the early morning, Argishti Kyaramyan, then head of the Armenian National Security Service, stating that his duties in the region were completely fulfilled, left Shusha.[6] The next day, thousands of Armenians fled Shusha and neighbouring Stepanakert,[26][32] with long lines of vehicles jamming the road.[27] On 7 November, Armenian authorities stated that fierce combat took place overnight near Shusha and Dashalty, and also claimed that several Azerbaijani attacks had been thwarted; Azerbaijan denied this,[102] and its president, Ilham Aliyev, announced that Azerbaijani forces had seized control of Garabulag and Baharly in Khojaly District, located to the southeast of the city.[103]

    Azerbaijani forces entered the city on 7 November.[104] In addition, a group blocked the Lachin corridor to prevent the Armenian forces from bringing additional support to the city, while another group, after capturing Dashalty, provided fire support.[8] Azerbaijani accounts state that Azerbaijani special forces, consisting of 400 men divided into four groups of 100, climbing the "steep rocks of Shusha with ropes" and lightly equipped, broke into the city in the morning from four sides and urban warfare immediately began. Armenian forces were driven out of the city in the afternoon, and on the morning of 8 November, Azerbaijani forces continued their offensive outside the city.[9][8][105] Aliyev, during his visit to Aghdam on 24 November, after Armenian side handed it over to Azerbaijan as part of the ceasefire agreement, stated that in Shusha, Azerbaijani forces were equipped with light weapons and engaged in combat in an "almost hand-to-hand battle."[96] He reiterated this and added that the Azerbaijani soldiers had climb the cliffs of Shusha to reach the city during a victory parade in Baku held on 10 December, labeling the battle a "historic moment."[106] Azerbaijani accounts also suggested that the number of Armenian forces in the city, supported by heavy artillery, was at least 2,000.[9] While Armenian sources and officials haven't commented on the number of Armenian forces in Shusha during the battle, Artsakh's self-proclaimed president had stated that some 6,000 Azerbaijani soldiers were sent to the area.[10]

    In the afternoon of 8 November, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijani forces had taken control of the city,[41][107] also congratulating the commander of the Azerbaijani special forces, Hikmat Mirzayev.[3] Although an Izvestia correspondent on scene confirmed Aliyev's claim,[108] Armenian authorities denied this on 8 and 9 November, stating that the fighting continued in and out of the city.[109][110] On 8 November, Argishti Kyaramyan was dismissed from his post as the head of the Armenian National Security Service and was replaced by Mikael Hambardzumyan.[111] On 9 November, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence released a video from the city, with a report by Major Zaur Rahimov in the end of it,[112] confirming full Azerbaijani control.[28] Aliyev also announced that Azerbaijani forces had seized control of several villages to the south and east of the city, including Chanagchi, Signag, Shushakend, and Dashalty.[113][114] Subsequently, Artsakh authorities acknowledged that they had lost control of Shusha,[42][43] adding that Azerbaijani forces were closing in on Stepanakert.[115] However, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan appeared to contradict this, stating that the battle was continuing;[44] this claim was later reiterated by the Armenian Ministry of Defence,[45] and Armenian MP Nikolai Baghdasaryan, who called Armenian public to not panic.[44] Some Armenians speculated that the social network accounts of Artsakh officials were hacked and their statements did not correspond with the reality. Some Armenian officials and analysts also accused Azerbaijani leadership of "lying to their people."[19] However, on 10 November, following the signing of the ceasefire agreement, which confirmed the fact that Azerbaijanis were controlling Shusha,[116] Artsakh's self-proclaimed president, Harutyunyan, stated that his forces had lost control of the city on 7 November,[46] and Pashinyan admitted the loss of the city.[47]

    Casualties

    In mid-November, the International Committee of the Red Cross, assisted by the Russian peacekeeping forces, started to find and exchange the bodies of the fallen soldiers from both sides,[117] and on 25 November, Russian sources reported that, in the city, the ICRC had found more than 2,000 corpses in total.[17]

    Armenian

    Armenia had not commented on its military casualties from the battle before the trilateral agreement. On 6 November, Le Monde reported that the Armenian-controlled hospitals in Stepanakert did not have enough space to accommodate any more injured during the battle for Shusha.[40] On 7 November, allegations emerged that the commander of Armenian troops in Shusha, Seyran Ohanyan, was severely wounded,[118] but this was denied by Armenia.[119] Azeri Daily, a Baku-based and Azerbaijani government-affiliated website, citing military sources, claimed that more than 800 corpses of Armenian soldiers have not been released into Armenian possessions. Armenian Ministry of Defence had asked Azerbaijanis to transfer these corpses to Armenian side.[16] However, on 16 November, self-declared President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, stated that 150 bodies belonging to the Armenian forces were recovered from the outskirts of Shusha and hundreds were still missing,[15] while Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that over 300 bodies belonging to Armenian forces were recovered from 14 to 16 November.[14] On 21 November, Artsakh authorities stated that they had found a wounded Armenian police officer near the city.[120]

    Azerbaijani

    Azerbaijan did not disclose its military casualties during the war.[121] On 3 December, Azerbaijan's ministry of defence disclosed the total number of Azerbaijani servicemen killed throughout the war, and stated that it will provide the details later on.[12] However, Armenian authorities claimed that at least 200 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the vicinity of Shusha.[13] According to the Azerbaijani accounts, all of the wounded Azerbaijani servicemen were evacuated on November 9.[8]

    Aftermath

    Further information: 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement
    Celebrations in Baku, Azerbaijan on 8 November.
    For the Liberation of Shusha Medal was created on the occasion of the Azerbaijani forces winning the battle.

    The battle was a key point in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and was seen as a significant blow by both Armenian military and wider Armenian society.[122] Two days after the battle, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, announced the signing of a ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan.[123] According to Armenian political scientist Suren Sargsyan, the ramifications of Shusha's loss was difficult for Armenians to grasp. Sargsyan added that it would lead to demands from the Armenian opposition for a change of government.[124] In the aftermath of the war, many Armenians turned against Pashinyan, with violent protests erupting throughout the country,[125] and a common claim of him "selling out" Shusha became popular among his opponents.[126] Ex-president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, also critised the Armenian military leadership for not stopping the Azerbaijani forces from reaching the vicinity of Shusha, as, according to Kocharyan, the Armenian forces had about two weeks to form up a new defensive line. Kocharyan also claimed that Vitaly Balasanyan, then the secretary of the National Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh, offered to command the Armenian forces in Shusha, but was rejected.[127] A series of military authorities backed Pashinyan, contending that Armenia’s military position was much direr than many people believed.[126] Pashinyan, in response, stated that after Azerbaijani forces took control of Shusha, Stepanakert was left defenseless, and that twenty to thirty thousand Armenian soldiers in Askeran and Martuni would've been under siege,[1][2] adding that the lives of Armenian soldiers were more important for him.[128] Artsakh's self-declared president, Arayik Harutyunyan, also pushed back against allegations of treason, stating that the ethnic Armenian forces lacked the manpower to defend the city.[10] Then, the Russian president Vladimir Putin stated that when Azerbaijani forces captured Shusha, a critical situation arose for Armenians and that Azerbaijanis could've further advanced, capturing Stepanakert, adding that the immediate cessation of the warfare was in the interest of Armenian side.[129] On 3 December, Deputy Head of the Shushi Province, Samvel Harutyunyan, stated that about 4,500 Armenians were displaced from Shusha.[18]

    In contrast, the announcement of the city's capture by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev led to celebration among Azerbaijanis, with flag-waving, singing, and the sounding of car horns in Baku, the country's capital.[130][131][132] A wreath-laying ceremony took place at the Alley of Honor in Baku with the participation of Aliyev and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva.[133] Ships moored in the Bay of Baku honked their horns,[134] and Azerbaijanis in Moscow celebrated with a firework display,[135] while cars decorated with the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey rallied through Brooklyn, New York.[136] In Azerbaijan, some political figures labelled the battle the Divorce in the Mountains (Azerbaijani: Dağlarda boşanma), in reference to Armenian name Operation Wedding in the Mountains (Armenian: «Հարսանիք լեռներում» ռազմագործողություն) for the 1992 capture of the city.[137] On 20 November, at a plenary session of the Azerbaijani National Assembly, a draft bill on amendments to the bill "On the establishment of orders and medals of the Republic of Azerbaijan" was submitted for discussion.[138] The For the Liberation of Shusha Medal was established on the same day in the first reading in accordance with the bill on the occasion of Azerbaijan recording a victory in the battle and winning the war,[139] with Ilham Aliyev proposing the medal's name.[140] On 1 December, Azerbaijani singer Samra Rahimli, known for representing Azerbaijan in Eurovision Song Contest 2016, released a song titled Shusha, we are back (Azerbaijani: Şuşa, biz qayıtmışıq).[141] 27 September and 10 November were declared Memorial Day and Victory Day respectively,[142][143] although the latter's date was changed to 8 November as the previous date overlapped with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's Memorial Day in Turkey.[144] On 4 December, at 12:00 (GMT+4) local time, a moment of silence was held in Azerbaijan to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the war.[145][146] In this regard, flags were lowered across the country, and traffic halted, while the ships moored in the Bay of Baku, as well as cars honked their horns.[147] Azerbaijani soldiers also stood in front of the Shusha fortress and commemorated those killed in the war.[148] On 10 December, during the Baku Victory Parade, the flag planted in Shusha when the Azerbaijan forces seized the city's control was declared the Victory Flag of Azerbaijan in the war, which the personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces marched along with in Azadliq Square.[149] Servicemen of the Special Forces of the Ministry of Defense, led by the Commander of the Special Forces, Lieutenant General Hikmat Mirzayev, who took part in the battle, also marched in the parade.[150]

    On 13 November, following the ceasefire agreement, the Russian peacekeepers from the 15th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade deployed to the region set up an observation post on the outskirts of the city. The Russian peacekeeping forces also took control of the Lachin corridor, which, according to the statement, did not affect Shusha.[151] Another checkpoint, located at a road going through the Ganja Gate, the northern entrance to the city, was guarded by Azerbaijani servicemen.[152]

    International reactions

    On 8 November, following Aliyev's announcement, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, congratulated Azerbaijan while addressing the crowd in Kocaeli, stating that he believed it to be a "sign that the rest of the occupied lands will be liberated soon too."[153] Selçuk Bayraktar, a Turkish engineer and creator of the Bayraktar TB2 drone, which was widely deployed by Azerbaijan during the conflict, also sent a message of congratulations.[154] Also, in Turkey, Vice President Fuat Oktay, the Ministry of National Defense, CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, spokesperson of the ruling AK Party, Ömer Çelik, the head of media and communications in the Turkish presidency, Fahrettin Altun, and Turkish presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın[155] congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion.[156] On 9 November, Iranian MP Ahmad Alirezabeigi stated that the "liberation of Shusha city from the occupation proved that justice has been restored", adding that he was "proud and happy" for the occasion.[157] The Pakistani ambassador to Azerbaijan also congratulated Azerbaijanis.[158] Former Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga[159] and former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev both congratulated Aliyev in their positions as members of the Baku-based Nizami Ganjavi International Centre.[160]

    On 9 November, France expressed its "very strong concern over the military advance toward the town of Shushi".[161]

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