Battle of Shusha (2020)
Battle in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Shusha[lower-alpha 4] (Azerbaijani: Şuşa döyüşü or Şuşa uğrunda döyüş; Armenian: Շուշիի ճակատամարտ, romanized: Shushii chakatamart)[41][42] was the final and decisive battle of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, 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.[43] The battle is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war.[44]
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Part of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War | |||||||||
Map of the battle as of 18 November 2020: Controlled by Artsakh Controlled by Azerbaijan Disputed | |||||||||
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Artsakh Defence Army Police of Armenia[21] | |||||||||
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Shusha, known to Armenians as Shushi, and the surrounding mountainous terrain, is one of the most strategically important locations in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region,[45][46] and is usually referred to as the "beating heart" of the region.[36][47] Until the middle of the 19th century, the city was considered the cultural and political centre of the regional Azerbaijani population,[48][49][50] as well as one of the two main cities of the Transcaucasus for Armenians and the center of a self-governing Armenian principality from medieval times through the 1750s.[51]
The city had a mixed Armenian-Azerbaijani population until the Shusha massacre in 1920, when Azerbaijani forces destroyed the Armenian half of the city and killed or expulsed its Armenian population— from 500 to 20,000 people.[52] Since the massacre left the city predominantly Azerbaijani, it was thereafter incorporated into the Azerbaijani SSR, along with the rest of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.[53] The city was captured in 1992 by Armenian Armed Forces to lift the Siege of Stepanakert during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, and its then predominantly Azerbaijani population was expelled from it.[54] The city subsequently served as a defensive backbone within Artsakh, connecting the de facto capital, Stepanakert, to the town of Goris in Armenia via the Lachin corridor.[55]
Advancing from the city of Jabrayil,[56] the Azerbaijani military captured the town of Hadrut in mid-October.[57] The Azerbaijani forces then advanced further north, entering Shusha District through its forests and mountain passes.[58][59] 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 Chanakchi,[60] followed by part of the strategic Shusha–Lachin road on 4 November, with the Armenian forces subsequently closing the road to civilians.[61] Le Monde reported that the battle had turned in favour of Azerbaijan on 6 November, despite Artsakh's denial.[62]
Supported by artillery fire, Azerbaijani special forces[63] entered Shusha on 6 November.[64] After two days of battle, the Armenian forces were driven 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.[65] The next day, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence released a video from the city, confirming full Azerbaijani control.[66] On the same day, the Artsakh's Presidential Office confirmed that it had lost control of Shusha,[67][68] although this was later contradicted by statements from the Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan,[69] and the Armenian Ministry of Defence.[70] Following the signing of a ceasefire agreement, President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan reiterated that Artsakh had lost control of the city on 7 November,[71] and Pashinyan admitted to the loss of the city.[72] Due to the strategic advantage the city provided,[73] the capture of Shusha became a decisive moment in the war,[66][57] with Azerbaijan declaring victory a few days later.[74][75][76]
Azerbaijan's victory in Shusha was widely celebrated in Azerbaijani society and its diaspora.[77][78][79] 8 November, the day the President of Azerbaijan announced the victory of the Azerbaijani forces, was declared Victory Day in Azerbaijan,[80] and a future Baku Metro station was named "8 November".[81] A military award was created for those who took part in the battle.[82] The name of Nobel Avenue in Baku has been changed to "8 November" Avenue.[83]