Today, 3 years have passed since Azerbaijan started Patriotic War, Paralel.Az reports.

As a response to Armenia’s next military aggression against Azerbaijan starting on September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani people began the Patriotic War under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev in order to liberate its lands from the occupation.

Our soldiers and officers showing heroism in the fight for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is our work of Right and Honor, our civilians working in the rear front, in general, our people, demonstrating persistence and will, unity and solidarity as a fist, inflicted crushing blows on the enemy.

Most of our compatriots were martyred, went missing, injured, and lost their health. Our lands were liberated at the cost of the blood and life of our heroic martyrs, soldiers, officers and veterans.

2908 military servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were martyred, and 6 are considered missing in the Patriotic War.

Unable to withstand the triumphant march of the Azerbaijani Army, the enemy resorted to provocations and committed war crimes by targeting innocent civilians.

The second largest city of Azerbaijan, ancient Ganja with numerous historical and cultural monuments, Mingachevir (Water Power Station) and Yevlakh (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline), where strategic facilities are located, Beylagan, Barda, Tartar, Gabala, Goranboy, Agjabedi, Absheron, Khizi, and other regions were fired from ballistic missiles and other heavy artillery devices.

On September 27, 2020, as a result of the fall of a cannon shell on the house of Elbrus Gurbanov, in Gashalti-Garagoyunlu village of Naftalan city, a family - 5 people were completely destroyed.

On October 4, 5. 8, 11, and 17, as a result of missiles and heavy artillery, 26 people died, 175 people were injured in the city of Ganja, and civil infrastructure facilities and vehicles in the city were heavily damaged.

As a result of missile and heavy artillery attacks by Armenian armed forces, 29 people died, 112 people were injured in the Barda region, and civilian infrastructure facilities, and vehicles in the region were heavily damaged.

Totally, as a result of Armenia’s military aggression, 93 civilians were killed, including 12 children and 27 women, 454 civilians were injured, totally,12 292 residential and non-residential settlements, 288 vehicles were damaged, and 1,018 farms were found to be damaged.

In the period from September 27 to November 10, 2020, Armenia shelled Tartar, Agjabedi, and Goranboy districts, located both on the battlefield and outside the conflict zone, using prohibited and extremely dangerous phosphorus bombs 5 times at different times.

On October 8, November 3, 4, and 8, the armed forces of Armenia in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the persons leading the military units located in the territory of the Republic of Armenia and the criminal organizations created by them, grossly violating the requirements of Geneva Convention, dated 1949, on the protection of civilians during armed conflicts, using war methods leading to large scale destructions, to cause extensive, long-lasting and serious damage to the settlements located in the territories of Fuzuli and Tartar districts, where the civilian population or individual civilians who did not participate in the hostilities live, as well as to the environment in violation of the basic principles of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, containing 3.6 kilograms of P-4 chemical composition (white phosphorus) in each of the forests with valuable and perennial trees, which are considered a natural resource of the Republic of Azerbaijan, located in the territory of the city of Shusha, located in the village of Arayatli, Alkhanli, Tartar district of Fuzuli district in order to intentionally kill people. By firing at least 6 D-4-type 122-millimeter cannon shells and deliberately burning the natural resources located in those areas, they caused a large amount of damage, planned and carried out an aggressive war against the Republic of Azerbaijan, and committed a terrorist crime.

Despite all of these, the Azerbaijani Army, under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, liberated its lands from the occupation in 44 days of “Iron fist” operation, territorial integrity of our country was ensured.

Thanks to the Victory March, villages and cities were cleared of Armenian invaders one after the other.

On October 3, Sugovushan settlement of Tartar district, on October 4, Jabrayil district, on October 9, Hadrut settlement of Khojavand district, on October 17, Fuzuli district, on October 20 Zangilan district, on October 25 Gubadli district were liberated from the occupation.

The city of Shusha was liberated from occupation on November 8 due to a unique operation carried out by the Azerbaijani Army.

President Ilham Aliyev announced the news of the liberation of Shusha from the occupation in his address to the people of Azerbaijan from the Alley of Martyrs.

By the Decree signed by the head of state on December 3, 2020, November 8 was established as Victory Day in Azerbaijan.

Realizing its defeat in the war, Armenia was forced to sign the act of capitulation on November 10, 2020.

On November 10, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, signed a statement.

According to the statement, a complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities were announced in the zone of the Nagorno-Garabagh conflict as of 00:00 Moscow time on November 10, 2020.

Along the contact line in Nagorno-Garabagh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation shall be deployed in the amount of 1,960 military personnel with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers, and 380 units of automobile and special equipment.

According to the statement, the period of stay of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent is five years and shall be automatically extended by a further five-year period if none of the Parties declares six months prior to the expiration of the period of its intention to terminate the application of this provision.

In order to increase the effectiveness of control over the implementation of the agreements by the Parties to the conflict, the Joint Russian-Turkish Monitoring Centre was established.

The statement noted that all economic and transport links in the region should be restored. The Republic of Armenia guarantees the safety of transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to organize an unhindered movement of citizens, vehicles, and goods in both directions. Control over transport is exercised by the bodies of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia. By agreement of the Parties, the construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan shall be ensured.

The return of Kalbajar, Aghdam, and Lachin regions to Azerbaijan was also reflected in the trilateral statement.

According to the statement, Aghdam city and the occupied part of the Aghdam district were liberated from occupation on November 20, while the Kalbajar district was liberated on November 25, and the Lachin district on December 1.

Azerbaijan succeeded in liberating these three districts from occupation without any losses.

Aside from this, on August 26, 2022, the city of Lachin and the villages of Zabukh and Sus were taken under control.

At the same time, on April 23 of 2023, Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity was restored. Thus, a border crossing point was established on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border in the direction of Lachin. On September 20, Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty. As a result of the local anti-terror measures implemented in less than 24 hours, the Armenian army illegally settled in the territory of Azerbaijan surrendered, accepted the terms of Azerbaijan, and thus Azerbaijan fully ensured its state sovereignty.

On 2 December 2020, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed a decree on the establishment of September 27 as the Day of Remembrance in Azerbaijan.

September 27 is marked as the Day of Remembrance as a sign of deep respect for our soldiers and officers who fought heroically in the Patriotic War, raised the Azerbaijani flag in our lands liberated from the occupation, and sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of our country, and all our martyrs.

Several events are scheduled to be held on September 27 in connection with the Day of Remembrance.