2024-07-13 18:04:41
The Tovuz battles are inscribed in golden letters in the heroic chronicle of the Azerbaijani army.
Four years have passed since the Tovuz battles of July 2020 – one of the main stages on the way to the Patriotic War, in which our Armed Forces won the Victory. As a result of five days of fighting, our army dealt a crushing blow to the enemy.
Day.Az presents the chronology of the Tovuz battles.
On the first day of the fighting, July 12, 2020, units of the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of the Tovuz region of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, using artillery installations, fired at our positions and attempted to go on the offensive. However, as a result of adequate measures taken, the enemy was dealt a serious blow, and he retreated, suffering losses. Thus, attempts by the Armenian armed forces to seize the positions of the Azerbaijani army were decisively suppressed and any territorial losses were prevented.
Three servicemen of the Azerbaijani army were killed and five were wounded while repelling the enemy attack. The personnel of the Armenian army suffered numerous losses.
On the night of July 13, in order to increase tension in the Tovuz direction, Armenian military units, using large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, mortars and other artillery units, again opened fire on the positions of the Azerbaijani army, including the village of Aghdam in the Tovuz region. Our troops took more decisive countermeasures against these provocations of the enemy. In night battles with the use of artillery, mortars and tanks, the enemy’s stronghold, artillery units, vehicles and manpower were destroyed by the precise fire of the units of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. As a result of the crushing blows of our units, the enemy suffered significant losses.
On July 13, a meeting of the Security Council was held under the chairmanship of President Ilham Aliyev. Our units took measures to prevent combat activity of the enemy, who hid information about their losses.
The Azerbaijani side did not suffer any territorial losses. Four of our servicemen were killed during the fighting.
On the same day, units of the Armenian armed forces fired mortars and artillery at the villages of Aghdam and Dondar Gushchu in the Tovuz region. Our troops took tougher countermeasures against the enemy’s provocations. Several military facilities and equipment of the enemy, as well as firing positions, a radar station, personnel, battalion headquarters and military infrastructure were destroyed by the precise fire of our units.
Fierce fighting continued on the night of July 13-14 in the Tovuz region of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border. As a result of measures taken to prevent enemy activity, its military equipment of various purposes, combat assets, command post, reserves and manpower in the depth of the defense were destroyed. Over the course of two days, crushing fire strikes were carried out on the opposite side. During the fighting in the direction of the Tovuz region, the enemy, having suffered heavy losses, retreated.
On July 14, the Armenian armed forces fired large-caliber weapons and artillery at the villages of Aghdam, Alibeyli and Dondar Gushchu in the Tovuz region. That day, during the battle on the front line of defense, Major General of the Azerbaijani Army Polad Hashimov, Colonel Ilgar Mirzoyev and five more of our servicemen heroically died preventing the enemy’s attack. Thus, the whole world witnessed the heroism of the generals and other high-ranking officers of the Azerbaijani army. On that day, fierce battles were taking place in the specified direction. The opposite side also opened fire on the civilian population and our settlements. After these events, the President of Azerbaijan gave the order to launch a punitive operation against Armenia.
“We are proud that the Azerbaijani people and the Azerbaijani land have raised such sons,” Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev said at the time.
The head of state called the events in Tovuz another provocation by Armenia and firmly stated that Azerbaijan will defend its territorial integrity.
On the same day, countermeasures against the enemy’s provocations continued. The Azerbaijani army soon took revenge for our martyrs.
That day, the situation escalated again, the opposite side opened fire on our settlements. As a result of artillery fire from the Armenian armed forces in the direction of the Tovuz region, a resident of the village of Aghdam was killed.
The Azerbaijani side shot down an Armenian drone. In addition, in order to prevent the enemy’s combat activity, the command post of the Armenian artillery division was destroyed by the accurate fire of our army units.
As a result of the measures taken the next day, the combat equipment of the Armenian armed forces and another stronghold were destroyed. The fire of the enemy units from large-caliber machine guns, sniper rifles, mortars and other artillery installations was suppressed by the return fire of the Azerbaijani army. The permanent firing points and the stronghold of the units of the opposite side, which were shelling our positions and settlements in the direction of the Tovuz region, were destroyed.
The important significance of the Tovuz battles was that our people demonstrated solidarity with our army, which heroically fought the enemy under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Thus, on the night of July 14-15, tens of thousands of young people marched through Baku and expressed support for the Azerbaijani army. The next day, many young people applied to the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription to join the ranks of the Azerbaijani army.
Thousands of our citizens, who supported the call of the President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev “If someone, any patriot wants to serve in the army, then I only welcome it”, which was voiced on July 15 at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, came to local departments, departments and offices of the State Service for Mobilization and Conscription for Military Service, where they are registered, to express their desire to voluntarily serve in the army, and underwent the appropriate registration.
On the morning of July 16, the enemy fired large-caliber weapons and mortars at the villages of Agdam, Dondar Gushchu and Vakhidli in the Tovuz region. But the shelling from the opposite side was suppressed by return fire.
In general, despite the tense situation, relative calm was observed in the direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Tovuz region on July 17.
During the Tovuz battles, which are another example of the high professionalism of the Azerbaijani army, 12 servicemen of our Armed Forces became martyrs, one civilian was killed. In these battles, more than 100 enemy servicemen were destroyed, and enemy military equipment was disabled.
It should be noted that the servicemen of our Armed Forces and martyrs who showed courage and bravery while participating in military operations to liberate our territories from occupation, who fulfilled their duty with dignity and honesty, as well as our heroes who became martyrs during the Patriotic War, were awarded various orders and medals in accordance with the orders of the President, the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev.
Approximately two and a half months after the Tovuz battles, the Azerbaijani army, which launched a large-scale counter-offensive operation to prevent another provocation by the enemy, defeated the Armenian armed forces during the 44-day Patriotic War and liberated our lands from occupation. Our army dealt a crushing blow to the enemy. Our heroic soldiers and officers avenged our martyrs on the battlefield and won.
The memory of our martyrs will always live in the hearts of every Azerbaijani. At present, the families of the martyrs are surrounded by the attention and care of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva. Our soldiers and officers who gave us this Victory are the source of our pride. Their courage and dedication have gone down in history.
The Tovuz battles once again demonstrated the military weakness of Armenia and the high fighting spirit of the Azerbaijani people. Thus, these battles became one of the first sparks of the Great Victory of Azerbaijan over the enemy in the Patriotic War.