Happy May 9: Today Marks a Tri-Celebration of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Liberation of Shushi, and the Establishment of the Artsakh Army

Today marks the 75th anniversary of Victory Day, the 28th anniversary of the Artsakh Defense Army, and the liberation of Shushi.

The victory of the Soviet peoples, including Armenians, in the Great Patriotic War of 1945 is complemented by the victory in the liberation of Shushi in 1992, which was followed by the establishment of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army.

From 1941 to May 1945, the Armenian people actively participated in the Great Patriotic War, contributing to the victory. Approximately 600,000 Armenians fought in the war, leading to the formation of six Armenian divisions, of which 314,000 perished or went missing. During the war years, Armenia provided four marshals: Baghramyan, Babajanyan, Khudyakov (Khamperyants), and Aghanov, as well as one admiral in the USSR: Isakov. Notably, three of the four Armenian marshals and the admiral were of Nagorno-Karabakh descent.

For acts of valor and bravery, 99 descendants of the Armenian people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union (including four for the Soviet-Finnish War and five for special missions performed after the war), along with 10 people from minority groups in Armenia, totaling 116 individuals. Among them, two—Soviet Marshal Hovhannes Baghramyan and Guards Lieutenant Colonel, Pilot Nelson Stepanyan—were bestowed with the title of Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. The heroes included commanders of various ranks and soldiers, with 36 having died in the battlefield, receiving the title posthumously.

Exactly 24 years ago, on the morning of May 9, Armenian units completely liberated the city of Shushi, a pivotal moment in the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Throughout the conflict, Shushi had been bombarding the capital of NKR, Stepanakert, initially by the Nakhichevan Autonomous Oblast and later by the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The military operations aimed at the liberation of Shushi were executed in four directions through simultaneous assaults, beginning on the night of May 8 at 2:30 am, after securing the military positions of Kirs and taking control of the Lachin-Shushi road through a volley from the BM-21 Grad rocket launcher.

The operational plan for the liberation of Shushi was developed under the guidance of Arkadi Ter-Tadevosyan, which military personnel undertook immediately after liberating Khojaly. The operation for the liberation of Shushi was dubbed “Wedding in the Mountains,” stemming from the fact that at the time, Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan had deemed the combat plan presented by Commander and Samvel Babayan for the liberation of Shushi impossible, believing that it was still early for such an operation and that thorough preparation was necessary. They decided that after capturing Shushi, they would organize Vazgen Sargsyan’s wedding in the mountains, thus leading to the operation being named “Wedding in the Mountains.”

May 9 also marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Defense Army of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, officially created on May 9, 1992, which unified the self-defense forces operating since 1990.