8 November 2020. The President announced that Shusha had been liberated: the town lost on 8 May 1992 was won back on 8 November 2020. This lesson follows the road to that day: the July battles, the 44-day war and the statement of 10 November. For what came before, see «The ceasefire period and the April battles (2016)»; for what followed, see «After the Victory: «Revenge», the anti-terror operation and the Great Return».
The eve of the war
After the ceasefire of 12 May 1994 talks went on through the OSCE Minsk Group (co-chairs: Russia, the USA, France) but produced nothing. The four UN Security Council resolutions of 1993 (822, 853, 874, 884) demanded the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories, and in 2008 the UN General Assembly confirmed the demand. These decisions were not carried out.
In 2019 Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in Khankendi (Stepanakert) that «Karabakh is Armenia, and that is all» (August), and Defence Minister David Tonoyan spoke of «a new war for new territories» (March); Azerbaijan regarded these statements as a blow to the talks, which had in practice reached a dead end. After the April battles Azerbaijan strengthened its army’s equipment and combat training.
The Tovuz battles (12–16 July 2020)
On 12 July 2020, according to Azerbaijan, Armenian armed forces attacked Azerbaijani positions in the Tovuz sector of the Azerbaijan–Armenia state border. The fighting lasted until 16 July and the attack was repelled. By official data Azerbaijan lost 12 servicemen, among them Major General Polad Hashimov. The Azerbaijani side pointed out that the Tovuz sector lies close to the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Southern Gas Corridor and regarded the attack as a threat to energy security. The Armenian side blamed Azerbaijan for the attack and reported four of its own servicemen killed.
After the Tovuz events, in July–August, Turkey and Azerbaijan held joint military exercises. Two months later large-scale fighting began along the whole front.
44 days: 27 September – 10 November
From the morning of 27 September 2020, by Azerbaijan’s official position, Armenian armed forces shelled Azerbaijani positions and settlements along the front (the Armenian side said the attack came from Azerbaijan). In response the Azerbaijani Army, under Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, began a counter-offensive; martial law and partial mobilisation were declared. Azerbaijan explained this as the right of self-defence under the UN Charter and as enforcement of the 1993 resolutions.
The operation was run on several sectors at once. The army made wide use of unmanned aerial vehicles (including nationally produced ones), high-precision artillery and special forces moving through mountains and forest; a decoy tactic was used to reveal the enemy’s air defences. In the south, operations went on in parallel along the Araz. The liberation of the settlement of Hadrut on 9 October opened the way towards Shusha.
Armenia shelled cities far from the front — Ganja, Barda, Tartar — with rockets and artillery, and dozens of civilians died (according to Azerbaijan). The Armenian population of Karabakh also came under fire and suffered civilian losses; Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented the use of cluster munitions by both sides in inhabited areas. The humanitarian ceasefires agreed in October (the first in Moscow on 10 October) broke down amid mutual accusations. In early November special forces advanced through the steep, wooded cliffs around Shusha and entered the town; on 8 November the President announced that Shusha was liberated. Standing on a strategic height, Shusha is Karabakh’s historic cultural centre; two days after its liberation the trilateral statement was signed.
| Place | Date (2020) | How |
|---|---|---|
| Jabrayil city | 4 October | in battle |
| Hadrut settlement | 9 October | in battle |
| Fuzuli city | 17 October | in battle |
| Zangilan city | 20 October | in battle |
| Gubadli city | 25 October | in battle |
| Shusha city | 8 November | in battle |
| Aghdam district | 20 November | under the statement |
| Kalbajar district | 25 November (first 15 November) | under the statement |
| Lachin district | 1 December | under the statement |
Interactive
The statement of 10 November and its results
On 10 November 2020 the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Russia signed a trilateral statement. The ceasefire took effect at 00:00 Moscow time that day. Its main points were:
- The Aghdam (20 November), Kalbajar (15 November, in practice 25 November) and Lachin (1 December) districts are returned to Azerbaijan
- A Russian peacekeeping contingent of 1,960 is deployed along the contact line and in the Lachin corridor for five years, with the possibility of automatic extension
- Displaced persons and refugees return to Karabakh and the adjacent districts under the supervision of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and prisoners of war are exchanged
- Transport links between western Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are opened
The last provision concerns the transport link between the western districts of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, also known as the «Zangezur corridor». By the statement, control over this link is exercised by bodies of the Border Guard Service of Russia’s FSB. The word «corridor» does not appear in the text of the statement; Azerbaijan uses this name, while Armenia does not accept it.
As a result of the war five cities, settlements and hundreds of villages were freed from occupation, ending an occupation of more than a quarter of a century. Both sides suffered heavy losses: on 3 December 2020 Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence announced 2,783 servicemen killed (nearly a hundred civilians also died), while in Armenia official counts speak of about 3,800 dead (servicemen and civilians). The UN Security Council passed no resolution against Azerbaijan. Demining and reconstruction began in the liberated lands, and the Great Return programme for displaced families started to be carried out. A Victory Parade was held in Baku on 10 December 2020; 8 November is marked as Victory Day.
- 2019
The «Karabakh is Armenia» statements of the Armenian leadership
- 12–16 July 2020
The Tovuz battles
- 27 September 2020
The counter-offensive begins; martial law
- 4 October 2020
Jabrayil city is liberated
- 9 October 2020
The settlement of Hadrut is liberated
- 17 October 2020
Fuzuli city is liberated
- 20 October 2020
Zangilan city is liberated
- 25 October 2020
Gubadli city is liberated
- 8 November 2020
Shusha is liberated (Victory Day)
- 10 November 2020
The trilateral statement; ceasefire
- 20 November 2020
The Aghdam district is returned
- 25 November 2020
The Kalbajar district is returned
- 1 December 2020
The Lachin district is returned
- 10 December 2020
Victory Parade in Baku
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Ilham Aliyev | President, Commander-in-Chief; signed the statement |
| Zakir Hasanov | Minister of Defence |
| Polad Hashimov | Major General; died in the Tovuz battles |
| Nikol Pashinyan | Prime Minister of Armenia; signed the statement |
| Vladimir Putin | President of Russia; signed the statement |
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | President of Turkey; gave Azerbaijan political support, attended the Victory Parade |
| Cause | Result |
|---|---|
| The UN resolutions were not carried out and talks produced nothing | Azerbaijan began to restore its territorial integrity by force |
| The liberation of Hadrut (9 October) | The way towards Shusha was opened |
| The liberation of Shusha (8 November) | Armenia agreed to a ceasefire and the statement of 10 November was signed |
| The statement of 10 November | Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin were returned; Russian peacekeepers were deployed in Karabakh |
| Feature | April battles | Patriotic War |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 2–5 April 2016 | 27 September – 10 November 2020 (44 days) |
| Result | Lalatapa and Jojug Marjanli were liberated | Five cities, settlements and hundreds of villages liberated |
| Document | ceasefire, most territories still occupied | trilateral statement (10 November) |
Source and DİM-type tasks
Three heads of state signed a joint statement. By the statement all military operations in the region are halted from 00:00 and the sides remain in the positions they hold. Several districts must be handed back on fixed dates.
Foreign peacekeeping forces are deployed for five years in the conflict zone and along the road linking two territories. Displaced persons will return to their homes and prisoners of war will be exchanged. Transport links will be opened between the western regions of Azerbaijan and its separate autonomous part.
Source tasks
Problem
1) Name the document, the three states that signed it and its date; none is named in the text.
2) Explain one military and one political reason why Armenia agreed to the document.
3) Give two consequences of the document that are NOT stated in the text.
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Solution
2) Military: Shusha, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Gubadli had been liberated and the army’s advance was continuing. Political: the 1993 UN resolutions were still unfulfilled and the UN Security Council had passed no resolution against Azerbaijan. Marks: both — 1; one — ½.
3) For example: demining and reconstruction in the liberated lands and the Great Return programme began; a new regional transport and security situation arose in the South Caucasus; Azerbaijan’s control over Shusha and the southern districts was restored. Marks: two consequences — 1; one — ½; a point already in the text (peacekeepers, return of displaced persons, the link with Nakhchivan, return of the districts) earns nothing.
Chronological order
Problem
Put the events in chronological order:
1. The liberation of Shusha
2. The Tovuz battles
3. The signing of the trilateral statement
4. The liberation of Zangilan
A) 2, 4, 1, 3 B) 2, 1, 4, 3 C) 4, 2, 1, 3 D) 2, 4, 3, 1 E) 1, 2, 4, 3
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Solution
Coded item
Problem
Freed as a result of the Patriotic War:
1. Hadrut
2. Lalatapa
3. Zangilan
4. Khankendi
5. Gubadli
A) 1, 2, 3 B) 2, 3, 4 C) 1, 3, 5 D) 2, 4, 5 E) 3, 4, 5
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Solution
Remember
- The Tovuz battles took place on the state border on 12–16 July 2020 and the attack was repelled; Major General Polad Hashimov was killed.
- On 27 September 2020 the counter-offensive began under Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev; the war lasted 44 days.
- Liberation dates: Jabrayil 4, Hadrut 9, Fuzuli 17, Zangilan 20, Gubadli 25 October, Shusha 8 November (Victory Day).
- The statement of 10 November 2020 brought a ceasefire; Aghdam (20 November), Kalbajar (25 November) and Lachin (1 December) were returned, and 1,960 Russian peacekeepers were deployed for five years.
- The UN Security Council passed no resolution against Azerbaijan; Armenia had never carried out the 1993 resolutions.