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BATTLE // January 1, 1992

Battle of Shusha

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Overview

The Battle of Shusha was the first significant military victory by Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The battle took place in the strategically important mountain town of Shusha on the evening of 8 May 1992, and fighting swiftly concluded the next day after Armenian forces captured it and drove out the defending Azerbaijanis. Armenian military commanders based in Nagorno-Karabakh's capital of Stepanakert had been contemplating capturing the town after Azerbaijani shelling of Stepanakert from Shusha for half a year had led to hundreds of Armenian civilian casualties and mass destruction in Stepanakert.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • Nagorno-Karabakh1,000–1,800
    medium
  • Azerbaijan2,500
    medium

Azerbaijan fielded a 1.8 : 1 numerical advantage

Casualties

  • Azerbaïdjan150–300
    medium

Commanders (13)

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6 sibling battles · 2 factions

Last verified June 2026
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