Exactly a year ago, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan's Patriotic War began. On that day, Armenia's occupying forces subjected the positions of the armed forces of Azerbaijan along the front line and the adjacent populated areas in Azerbaijan to intensive fire with the use of large-calibre weapons, artillery and mortars. Baku decided to launch a counter-offensive operation to ensure the safety of the civilian population. Vestnik Kavkaza offers its readers to follow the events of the 44 days of Azerbaijan's Patriotic War as they were covered a year ago.
On the night of the war's twenty-sixth day, October 22, the flight of the Armenian occupation forces from the occupied Azerbaijani land became widespread. In the morning, the Armenian Armed Forces fired ballistic missiles using operational-tactical missile systems at Azerbaijani Gabala and Kurdamir districts from the territory of Armenia. At about 07:00, the forces fired 3 missiles in the direction of the Siyazan district, at about 09:00 - two missiles at Gabala and one missile at Kurdamir district. Missiles towards Gabakla were launched from Gafan and Jermuk regions of Armenia. Later, the wreckage of these missiles was presented.
Meanwhile, the liberation Azerbaijani army launched a counteroffensive from Fizuli towards the captured city of Khojavend.
On the liberated lands, the first work began to restore the infrastructure destroyed by the invaders. The U.S. Ambassador to NATO stated the need to resolve the conflict should be settled on the issues of the boundary lines and Azerbaijan's sovereignty issues, later the NATO Secretary General called on Turkey to work to end hostilities on Azerbaijani soil.
In the afternoon, another rocket was launched by the Armenian Armed Forces through the Oguz-Gabala-Baku water pipeline, an Armenian drone was shot down over the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The video footage of other captured military equipment of the Armenian armed forces has been disseminated.
The WHO called on to stop the war due to the explosive growth in the incidence of Covid-19 in Armenia. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in an interview with Nikkei newspaper stressed that the security of the Karabakh Armenians after the liberation of the Azerbaijani land from the occupation will be guaranteed. At the same time, he noted that due to the position of the Armenian leadership, the prospect of a peaceful settlement appears to be very remote.
In the afternoon, the reconstruction of roads to the villages of Talysh and Sugovushan began. The Armenian Defense Ministry recognized the deaths of 874 occupiers at the front, in the evening the number increased to 900 people.
After 17:00, it became known about the liberation of 21 more villages in Fizuli, Jabrayil and Zangilan regions of Azerbaijan. Among them is the village of Agbend near the border with Armenia and Iran.
At the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the occupation of the Azerbaijani land cannot continue forever.
In the evening, facts about missile strikes from Armenia on Gabala, Kurdamir and Siyazan were brought to the attention of international organizations.
Thus, on the twenty-sixth day of the war, the Azerbaijani liberation army continued its advance deep into the occupation zone. The previously occupied section of the border with Iran was taken under full control, and the liberation of the border with Armenia began. The peaceful Azerbaijani cities of Gabala, Kurdamir and Siyazan, which had not previously been shelled, were hit with medium-range missiles. In the evening, Vladimir Putin confirmed the inevitability of the liberation of the territories of Azerbaijan.
