On the morning of 26 February 1992 hundreds of civilians in Khojaly were no longer alive. Three months later Shusha and Lachin fell to the enemy. A year after that, in 1993, Azerbaijan lost six districts, although in the summer of 1992 our army had been advancing. How did an offensive turn into a retreat? This lesson follows how the war began, why it went as it did and how it ended in a ceasefire (its beginning is in the lesson «Perestroika, the start of the Karabakh conflict and the People's Movement»).
The start of the war (1991–1992)
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) had been part of the Azerbaijan SSR since 1923. The restored independent Azerbaijan abolished it by a law of the Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991. On 10 December the Armenian population of the oblast held an «independence referendum» in which the Azerbaijanis did not take part. Neither Azerbaijan nor the international community recognised this step: Nagorno-Karabakh was regarded as Azerbaijani territory.
The forces were unequal. The Armenian armed formations were backed by Armenia; they obtained arms and ammunition from the arsenals of the former Soviet army, and the 366th motorised rifle regiment in Khankendi fought on their side. Azerbaijan had no regular army: the Ministry of Defence and the army were being created from the autumn of 1991, and volunteer detachments were not under a single command.
The Khojaly genocide
Khojaly lay on the Khankendi–Askeran–Aghdam road, and the airport of Nagorno-Karabakh was there. The town had been under siege for months. In the night of 25 to 26 February Armenian armed formations, with the 366th regiment, attacked Khojaly. The residents were shot as they tried to reach Aghdam through the forest.
According to Azerbaijan’s official data, 613 people were killed, among them 106 women, 63 children and 70 elderly; 1,275 were taken hostage and 150 are still missing. The figures differ between sources: international organisations such as Human Rights Watch give a lower number (at least 200 civilians), but they too confirm a mass killing of civilians. Azerbaijan assesses the event as genocide (Parliament, 1994) and a number of states support this assessment; it is commemorated every year on 26 February. The event exposed the weakness of the authorities in Baku: President Ayaz Mutallibov resigned in March.
Shusha, Lachin and the summer of 1992
Shusha fell on 8 May. The loss of the former centre of the Karabakh khanate and cradle of Azerbaijani music and poetry (see «The Karabakh khanate: Panahali Khan and Ibrahimkhalil Khan») shook society. On 18 May Lachin was also occupied and the Lachin corridor linking Armenia with Khankendi was opened: from then on the Armenian formations were supplied freely from Armenia. In June Abulfaz Elchibey was elected president (see «The restoration of independence and the power struggles (1991–1993)»).
In the summer the Azerbaijani army launched a counter-offensive towards Aghdara and a number of settlements were liberated. But the success did not last: the command was fragmented, supplies were poor and political rivalry affected the front as well.
1993: the loss of six districts
In the spring of 1993 Kalbajar, which borders Armenia, was occupied on 2 April. In early June the armed action of Surat Huseynov in Ganja (the Ganja events) paralysed the state; on 15 June Heydar Aliyev became chairman of the Supreme Council, and Elchibey left the capital a few days later (see «National Salvation: Heydar Aliyev in Nakhchivan and his return to power»). Exploiting the weakness at the front, the enemy took Aghdam on 23 July, Fuzuli and Jabrayil in August, Gubadli on 31 August and Zangilan on 29 October, reaching the Iranian border along the Aras.
After every occupation Azerbaijan took the matter to the UN Security Council. In 1993 the Council adopted resolutions 822 (30 April), 853 (29 July), 874 (14 October) and 884 (12 November). They demanded a cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of the occupying forces from Kalbajar, Aghdam and other districts, and the confirmation of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The resolutions were not carried out.
Towards the ceasefire (1993–1994)
President Heydar Aliyev (elected 3 October 1993) began rebuilding the army: discipline was tightened and the armed detachments were placed under a single command. From December 1993 to January 1994 the enemy attack towards Horadiz was repulsed and the advance along the Aras was stopped. On the basis of the Bishkek protocol (5 May 1994), prepared with Russian mediation and the participation of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, a ceasefire came into force on 12 May 1994.
Results
Refugee and internally displaced personDefinition
A refugee is a person driven out of another country (for example Armenia) who found shelter in Azerbaijan; an internally displaced person is someone forced to leave home inside his own country, from the occupied territories.
The results were grave: about 20 per cent of our internationally recognised territory (official estimate) — Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in whole or in part — remained occupied. Hundreds of thousands of people became refugees and internally displaced persons: about 1 million according to Azerbaijan’s official data, and roughly 800,000 to 1 million according to UN estimates of the mid-1990s (displaced persons and refugees from Armenia together). Towns and villages were destroyed; Azerbaijanis from Armenia and Armenians from Azerbaijan also had to leave their homes. The ceasefire was not peace: talks went on for many years under the Minsk Group of the CSCE (now OSCE), created in 1992, and the resolutions were not implemented. The occupied lands were liberated in 2020 (see «The Great Victory: the Tovuz battles and the Patriotic War (2020)»).
- 7 July 1923
The NKAO is created
- 26 November 1991
Abolition of the NKAO
The Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan adopted the law.
- 10 December 1991
The «independence referendum»
Boycotted by Azerbaijanis and recognised by no one.
- 25–26 February 1992
Khojaly tragedy
According to official data, 613 civilians were killed.
- 8 May 1992
Occupation of Shusha
- 18 May 1992
Occupation of Lachin
The Lachin corridor was opened.
- June 1992
Counter-offensive towards Aghdara
- 2 April 1993
Occupation of Kalbajar
- 15 June 1993
Heydar Aliyev chairs the Supreme Council
- 23 July 1993
Occupation of Aghdam
- 23 August 1993
Occupation of Fuzuli and Jabrayil
- 31 August 1993
Occupation of Gubadli
- 29 October 1993
Occupation of Zangilan
- 1993
UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884
Adopted in April, July, October and November.
- January 1994
The battles for Horadiz
- 5 May 1994
The Bishkek protocol
- 12 May 1994
The ceasefire
| Person | Position | Role in the war |
|---|---|---|
| Ayaz Mutallibov | President (1991 – March 1992) | Governed at the start of the war; resigned after the Khojaly tragedy |
| Abulfaz Elchibey | President (June 1992 – June 1993) | Army building, the summer counter-offensive; Kalbajar was lost, left the capital after the Ganja revolt |
| Heydar Aliyev | Chairman of the Supreme Council (15 June 1993), president (from 3 October 1993) | Stopped the collapse, rebuilt the army; the Horadiz battles, the ceasefire |
| Period | Situation in Baku | At the front |
|---|---|---|
| December 1991 – May 1992 | The end of the Mutallibov period; the army is only being formed | Khojaly, Shusha, Lachin are lost |
| June – December 1992 | Elchibey in power, army building | Counter-offensive towards Aghdara, then a stall |
| January – November 1993 | Power crisis, the Ganja revolt; Heydar Aliyev in June | Kalbajar, Aghdam and the districts along the Aras are lost; UN resolutions |
| December 1993 – May 1994 | President Heydar Aliyev, rebuilding the army | The battles for Horadiz; the Bishkek protocol, ceasefire |
| Town / district | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Khojaly | 26 February 1992 | Genocide; the airport of Nagorno-Karabakh |
| Shusha | 8 May 1992 | Centre of the Karabakh khanate |
| Lachin | 18 May 1992 | The Lachin corridor opened |
| Kalbajar | 2 April 1993 | Borders Armenia; UN resolution 822 |
| Aghdam | 23 July 1993 | A large town; UN resolution 853 |
| Fuzuli | 23 August 1993 | On the Aras |
| Jabrayil | 23 August 1993 | On the Aras |
| Gubadli | 31 August 1993 | On the Aras |
| Zangilan | 29 October 1993 | Reached the Iranian border |
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| The collapse of the USSR, the arms vacuum, Armenian support | Early military superiority of the Armenian formations |
| A late-formed regular army, no single command | The loss of Khojaly, Shusha and Lachin |
| The power crisis (1992–1993) | The stall of the summer offensive, the loss of six districts in 1993 |
| Fighting spreading beyond Nagorno-Karabakh | Four UN Security Council resolutions (1993) |
| Heydar Aliyev’s return to power, the rebuilding of the army | The attack at Horadiz repulsed, the ceasefire (12 May 1994) |
Interactive
Source: a Security Council resolution
The Council is alarmed by the worsening situation in the region and by the threat to international peace. It condemns the occupation of the districts of this republic and demands the immediate cessation of fire and the withdrawal of the occupying forces from those districts.
The Council reaffirms the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of all states in the region and states that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible. Conditions must be created for refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes, and humanitarian aid must be delivered.
Source tasks
Problem
1) Identify the organisation not named in the text, the number of resolutions of this kind adopted in 1993 and the republic that suffered the occupation.
2) Explain one political and one military reason why such resolutions were adopted.
3) Give two consequences of these resolutions that are NOT stated in the text.
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
2) Political: Azerbaijan was a UN member (2 March 1992) and its territorial integrity is protected by international law. Military: in 1993 the fighting spread beyond Nagorno-Karabakh, districts such as Kalbajar and Aghdam were seized. Marks: both — 1; one — ½.
3) The resolutions were not implemented and the occupation went on (after 853 Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan were taken); Azerbaijan defended its territorial integrity in later talks on an international legal basis. Marks: two consequences — 1; one — ½; «the withdrawal of forces was demanded» is in the text and earns nothing.
DIM-type tasks
DIM task: chronology
Problem
Arrange the events in chronological order:
1. Occupation of Aghdam
2. The Bishkek protocol
3. Occupation of Shusha
4. The law abolishing the NKAO
5. Occupation of Zangilan
A) 3, 4, 1, 5, 2 B) 4, 3, 1, 5, 2 C) 4, 3, 5, 1, 2 D) 4, 1, 3, 5, 2 E) 3, 4, 5, 1, 2
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
Step 2: eliminate: A and E begin with event 3, but the NKAO was abolished in 1991 (4 comes first) — out. In D Aghdam (1993) precedes Shusha (1992) — wrong. In C Zangilan (October) precedes Aghdam (July) — wrong.
Answer: B — 4, 3, 1, 5, 2.
DIM task: «does not belong»
Problem
Which does NOT belong to the causes of the First Karabakh War?
A) Armenia’s territorial claims on Azerbaijan
B) the military-political vacuum created by the collapse of the USSR
C) the late formation of Azerbaijan’s regular army
D) internal power struggles
E) the UN Security Council resolutions confirming Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
Step 2: A, B, C and D are causes from the lesson (see the table).
Step 3: E is the international reaction of 1993, during the war — a result, not a cause.
Answer: E.
DIM task: matching
Problem
Match the districts with the dates of occupation:
1. Lachin 2. Kalbajar 3. Gubadli 4. Shusha
a) 31 August 1993 b) 8 May 1992 c) 2 April 1993 d) 18 May 1992
A) 1-d, 2-c, 3-a, 4-b B) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a, 4-d C) 1-d, 2-a, 3-c, 4-b D) 1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b E) 1-d, 2-c, 3-b, 4-a
Show solutionHide solution
Solution
Step 2: Shusha 8 May, Lachin 18 May: 4-b, 1-d. Kalbajar April (c), Gubadli end of August (a): 2-c, 3-a.
Step 3: only A gives all pairs correctly; B swaps Shusha and Lachin, while C, D and E mix up the dates of 1992 and 1993.
Answer: A.
Remember
- 26 November 1991: the NKAO was abolished; 25–26 February 1992: the Khojaly genocide (613 killed according to official data).
- 8 May 1992 — Shusha, 18 May 1992 — Lachin (the Lachin corridor).
- In the summer of 1992 there was a counter-offensive towards Aghdara, but the power crisis and a fragmented command stopped it.
- 1993: Kalbajar (2 April), Aghdam (23 July), Fuzuli and Jabrayil (23 August), Gubadli (31 August), Zangilan (29 October); UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884.
- On the basis of the Bishkek protocol (5 May 1994) a ceasefire began on 12 May 1994; about 20 per cent of the territory (official estimate) stayed occupied and roughly 800,000 to 1 million people became refugees and displaced persons.