Participant of the Artsakh War Reveals How Shushi Was Handed Over

Geographer and founder of Armenian geography Tigran Varagh, who participated in the Artsakh war, gave an interview to journalist Tatul Hakobyan, sharing horrifying accounts of the defense of the villages that allowed Azerbaijani forces to reach Shushi.

According to him, their group, consisting of more than 30 individuals, did not have a commander, as there were no officers available. They were instructed to choose one among themselves as a commander to defend the village of Mokhrenes. At the same time, there were no professional military personnel in the village who understood the area or the combat positions of the Armenian forces.

A few remaining villagers assisted in establishing defensive positions, but at night, they were called and told to urgently retreat from their positions because the enemy had captured the neighboring village of Togh. The boys spent the night in the village, waiting for the enemy, as Togh was only 3 kilometers away from Mokhrenes.

In the morning, an officer arrived in Mokhrenes, who reported that the information regarding the capture of Togh did not match reality and began to prepare kebabs. As a result, it was revealed that Togh had indeed been taken, and the enemy was advancing toward Mokhrenes.

The officer then contacted a general, who ordered a retreat to the village of Tumi. They subsequently retreated to Kirsavan and from there managed to reach Karintak to defend Shushi, but they also received orders to abandon their positions here.

War participant Tigran Varagh concludes that all of this occurred because from the very beginning, there was no intention to defend these important villages leading to Shushi, and the orders for retreat had been pre-planned.