Chronology of the Aggression[1]
1987
The first systematic attacks on the Azerbaijanis living in Armenia began at the end of 1987 (November-December) which resulted in a flood of Azerbaijani refugees. At the same time, Armenia instigated attacks against Azerbaijanis in Khankandi city (during the Soviet period – Stepanakert) of Azerbaijan.
1988
On February 20, induced by the authorities of Armenian SSR, the Armenian representatives at the session of the Soviet of People’s Deputies of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO)[2] of Azerbaijan SSR adopted a decision to petition to the Supreme Soviets of the Azerbaijan SSR and the Armenian SSR for the transfer of the NKAO from the Azerbaijan SSR to the Armenian SSR.
On February 22, near the settlement of Asgaran on the Khankandi-Aghdam highway, the Armenian nationalists opened fire on a peaceful demonstration of the Azerbaijanis protesting against the above-mentioned decision of the Soviet of People’s Deputies of the NKAO. Two Azerbaijani youths lost their lives.
November 27-29, as a result of anti-Azerbaijani pogroms in the towns of Gugark, Spitak and Stepanavan of the Armenian SSR 33 Azerbaijanis were killed. During 1988-1989 the Armenian authorities forced the Azerbaijanis to leave Armenia. In the course of mass deportation, at least 216 Azerbaijanis were killed and 1,154 people were wounded. The refugees from Armenia —numbering around 250,000 people — began to arrive in Azerbaijan.
1989
December 1 - Supreme Soviet of Armenian SSR adopted the illegal decision on the unification of Armenian SSR and NKAO of Azerbaijan SSR.
July 7 - Karkijahan settlement of the Khankandi city were subjected to shooting. There were casualties among Azerbaijani civilians.
July 11 - Armed attacks against the Azerbaijanis in Khankandi. There were casualties among the Azerbaijani civilians.
July 29 - Movement of trains from Azerbaijan to Armenia were interrupted due to attacks on waggonages. Armenia started to impose a blockade of the Nakhichevan Autonomus Republic of Azerbaijan.
September 3-21 - a series of terrorist acts against the Azerbaijanis living in NKAO of Azerbaijan SSR, killing them and burning their houses in Khankandi.
September 16 – terrorist bombing of a Tbilisi-Baku passenger bus resulted in killing 5 and injuring 25 people.
First and second decade of December- Numerous attacks on the villages of Azerbaijan SSR on the border with Armenian SSR. Penetration of militants from Armenia to the territory of Goranboy and Goygol districts of Azerbaijan.
1990
January 15 - Armenia occupied Karki village of the Nakhichevan Autonomus Republic of Azerbaijan[3].
January 19 - Sadarak village of the Nakhichevan Autonomus Republic of Azerbaijan was attacked.
February 13 - Bombing of a passenger bus of the Shusha-Baku line, injuring 13 people.
March 24 - Armed attack of Armenian militants on the border village of Baganis Ayrim of the district of Gazakh resulted in killing of the civilian population.
August 10 - terrorist bombing of a passenger bus in Khanlar, killing 17 people and injuring 16 people.
August 10 - terrorist bombing of a Tbilisi-Aghdam passenger bus, killing 20 people and injuring 30 people.
November 30 - terrorist bombing of a passenger bus carrying employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan from Shusha to Khankandi, injuring 2 people.
1991
September - Armed forces of Armenia attacked the west part of the Goranboy district and occupied a number of settlements.
October-November – Armed forces of Armenia launched armed attacks against Azerbaijani population of the Khojavand district and Hadrut settlement. About 30 villages were occupied and devastated and inhabitants were driven out of their homes.
November 20 – Armenian terrorists opened a fire at the civilian helicopter "MI-8", which was carrying senior leadership of Azerbaijan and a group of high-ranking officials from Russia and Kazakhstan, near the village of Garakend of the Khojavand district. The murder of 22 people was an end to the first attempt for the peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict undertaken in Zheleznovodsk (September 23, 1991) and led to further escalation of violence.
End of December – Attacks on and occupation of the Karkijahan settlement of the Khankandi city and Meshaly village of the Khojaly district resulted in mass murder of civilians.
1992
January - Armed forces of Armenia continued occupation of the Azerbaijani settlements in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
February 10 - Armed forces of Armenia attacked Gushchular and Malibayli villages of the Shusha city. There were many casualties among population of the villages.
February 17 - Armed forces of Armenia massacred civilian population of the Garadagly village of the Khojavand district.
February 25-26 – Armed forces of Armenia committed an act of genocide against civilian population of Khojaly town. With the direct support of the 366th Motorized Infantry Regiment of the former USSR (deployed in Khankandi), Armenia’s army brutally killed 613 people (among them, 63 children, 106 women, 70 elders) and destroyed the town. 487 people were severely wounded (including 76 children); 1275 persons were taken as hostages; 150 people are still missing.
March-June - Occupation of Kheyrymly, Ashaghy Askipara, Barkhudarly, Sofulu, Gyzylhajyly, Yukhary Askipara villages of the Gazakh district of Azerbaijan.
April 8 - Attack by the armed forces of Armenia on the Aghdaban village of the Kalbajar district resulted in mass murder of the civilians.
May 8 – As the Heads of States of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Tehran with mediation of Iran, Armenia launched an attack and occupied Shusha city of Azerbaijan.
May 18 – While discussions on peaceful settlement of the conflict in the meeting of the Senior Officials Committee of the CSCE in Helsinki were going on, the armed forces of Armenia occupied Lachin district.
August 28 - Attack by the armed forces of Armenia on the Ballygaya village of the Goranboy district resulted in mass murder of the civilians.
December 9-12 - In violation of cease-fire agreed in Sochi (Russia), Armenia occupied eight villages of Zangilan district of Azerbaijan.
1993
April 2 - Armed forces of Armenia launched an offensive and occupied Kalbadjar district of Azerbaijan.
April 30 - The UN Security Council adopted resolution 822, inter alia, demanding immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces from the Kalbadjar and other recently occupied areas of Azerbaijan.
July 7- Armed forces of Armenia occupied Aghdara town.
July 23 - Occupation of the Agdam district by Armenia, immediately after the visit of Mr. Mario M.Rafaelli, the Chairman of the Minsk Conference of the CSCE.
July 29 - The UN Security Council adopted resolution N 853, which, inter alia, demanded the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of occupying forces from the Agdam district and other recently occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
August 23 - Despite the mentioned warnings, Armenia continued its aggression and occupied Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts of Azerbaijan.
August 31 - The occupation of the Gubadly district of Azerbaijan by the armed forces of Armenia.
October 14 - The UN Security Council adopted resolution 874, which, inter alia, called for immediate implementation of the reciprocal and urgent steps provided for in the CSCE Minsk Group's Adjusted timetable, including the withdrawal of forces from recently occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
October 29 - Occupation of the Zangilan district of Azerbaijan.
November 11 - The UN Security Council adopted resolution N 884, which, inter alia, condemned the occupation of Zangilan district and the Horadiz town, attacks on civilians and bombardments of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and demanded the unilateral withdrawal of occupying forces from the Zangilan district and the town of Horadiz, and the withdrawal of occupying forces from other recently occupied areas of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
December - Armed forces of Armenia launched offensive in the direction of Beylagan and Aghjabadi districts of Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani side repelled the armed attacks.
1994-2020
April, 1994 - Armenia launched another offensive in the direction of Goranboy and Tartar districts, which was eventually repelled by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.
May 12, 1994 - A cease-fire was put in place.
It should be underlined that the cease-fire did not put an end to the armed aggression against Azerbaijan. Since 1994, almost for 26 years Armenia has been continuing illegal occupation of the one fifth of the Azerbaijani territories and preventing more than 1 million expelled Azerbaijani population to return to their places of origin. Moreover, the ceasefire was followed by numerous episodes of use of force against Azerbaijani military personnel and civilians as well as by utilizing other unconventional methods such as intentional release of water from reservoirs in winter months or subjecting plants to fires to harm Azerbaijani civilians.
The major offensives by armed forces of Armenia against Azerbaijan occurred in April 2016, July 2020 and September 2020[4].
[1] This is a non-detailed chronology of events related to the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.
[2] By the Decision of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan NKAO as an administrative territorial unit ceased to exist on November 26, 1991.
[3] Occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan was accompanied by the brutal killing and wounding of civilians and the ethnic cleansing of the occupied territories of all Azerbaijanis.
[4] For more information, please, visit the relevant sections of the web-page.