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 35th day of the war, October 31, the liberation Azerbaijani army drove the occupying forces of Armenia from their positions in the Agderin, Khojavend and Gubadli directions. The firing points from which the shelling of the Azerbaijani positions was performed in the Gubadlisn region were eliminated. The invaders began to prepare an attack in Khojavend with prohibited white phosphorus munitions.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking for help. Moscow listed conditions necessary for assistance to be provided to Armenia. Moscow's response sparked a wave of outrage in the Armenian social media sector.
The fake news about artillery strikes on Shusha was debunked, and Baku drew attention to the fact that the invaders could use phosphorus munitions to burn down the forests nearby Shusha. In the afternoon, artillery shelling of the Armenian Armed Forces on the settlements of Azerbaijan resumed, by this time, the number of rocket launches alone against the peaceful Azerbaijani population reached 218.
In an interview with ARD, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that neighbouring countries would not help Armenia to retain the occupied territories. He also reiterated that Baku is ready to immediately stop hostilities when agreeing on a schedule for the withdrawal of the occupation troops from Azerbaijan, indicating that Yerevan is obliged to admit defeat in the war.
An action in support of Azerbaijan was held in Venice. The Russian community of Azerbaijan held a patriotic motor rally in Baku. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry drew attention to the fact that Armenia shows disrespect for the mediators.
Video documents of the liquidation of the occupation forces tanks and howitzers, as well as the invaders’ manpower, were presented. The total number of civilians killed in Azerbaijan by October 31, who the occupation forces of Armenia shelled for 35 days, reached 91 people, in total, 182 settlements were shelled. Baku underscored that the liberation Azerbaijani army observes all the rules of waging war.
The United States offered to deploy Scandinavian peacekeeping forces in Karabakh. The fake news about the shelling of the village of David Bek in Armenia was debunked.
Thus, on the 35th day of the war, the invaders' positions weakened along the entire front line, the liberation Azerbaijani army put pressure on the occupiers both in the south and in the east directions in order to prevent the occupiers from concentrating their forces in Shusha, the operation to liberate which was launched by the Azerbaijani special forces. In desperation, the Armenian military command ordered the preparation of prohibited phosphorus munitions, and the Armenian prime minister wrote a letter to Vladimir Putin asking for help. The preliminary results of Yerevan’s terrorist activities against the civilian population of Azerbaijan were summed up.
