28 years ago on this day, May 8, the Artsakh Defense Army and volunteer detachments liberated Shushi.
The liberation of Shushi was a turning point in the Karabakh war. It was from here that the Azerbaijanis were striking toward Stepanakert and the surrounding villages.
Despite the enemy’s superior forces, thanks to the courage and brilliant fighting ability of the Armenian heroes, Shushi was finally liberated on May 9, which made it possible to reclaim the homeland and move forward.
The operation was carried out in 4 directions with simultaneous attacks, on the night of May 8 at 2:30 a.m., after capturing the military positions of Kirs and taking the Lachin-Shushi road under control, with a salvo from the MM-21 battery. The military operation was led by the commander of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan.
From November 1991 to the beginning of May 1992, approximately 4,740 shells were fired at Stepanakert from Shushi, Janhasan, Kesalar, and Gaybalu, of which about 3,000 were from “Grad” installations. As a result of those bombardments, 111 civilians were killed and 332 wounded, and 370 residential houses and structures were destroyed.
The military operation to liberate Shushi is, in terms of planning and execution, an almost flawless military operation, unique in Armenian military art, which brought about a radical turning point in the Artsakh liberation war. It lasted 26 hours, and by May 9 Shushi was already liberated.
In the battles for the liberation of Shushi, the Armenian side had 57 casualties, the enemy 250-300 killed, 600-700 wounded, and 13 prisoners.
