Battle of Shusha (2020)

The Battle of Shusha (Azerbaijani: Şuşa döyüşü or Şuşa uğrunda döyüş; Armenian: Շուշիի ճակատամարտ, romanized: Shushii chakatamart) 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. The battle is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

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, and is usually referred to as the "beating heart" of the region. Until the middle of the 19th century, the city was considered the cultural and political centre of the regional Azerbaijani population, 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Advancing from the city of Jabrayil, the Azerbaijani military captured the town of Hadrut in mid-October. The Azerbaijani forces then advanced further north, entering Shusha District through its forests and mountain passes. 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, followed by part of the strategic Shusha–Lachin road on 4 November, with the Armenian forces subsequently closing the road to civilians. Le Monde reported that the battle had turned in favour of Azerbaijan on 6 November, despite Artsakh's denial.

Supported by artillery fire, Azerbaijani special forces entered Shusha on 6 November. 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. The next day, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence released a video from the city, confirming full Azerbaijani control. On the same day, the Artsakh's Presidential Office confirmed that it had lost control of Shusha, although this was later contradicted by statements from the Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, and the Armenian Ministry of Defence. Following the signing of a ceasefire agreement, President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan reiterated that Artsakh had lost control of the city on 7 November, and Pashinyan admitted to the loss of the city. Due to the strategic advantage the city provided, the capture of Shusha became a decisive moment in the war, with Azerbaijan declaring victory a few days later.

Azerbaijan's victory in Shusha was widely celebrated in Azerbaijani society and its diaspora. 8 November, the day the President of Azerbaijan announced the victory of the Azerbaijani forces, was declared Victory Day in Azerbaijan, and a future Baku Metro station was named "8 November". A military award was created for those who took part in the battle. The name of Nobel Avenue in Baku has been changed to "8 November" Avenue.