The town of Khojaly, the second most significant Azerbaijani-populated locality in Karabakh, was occupied by Armenian armed forces with the active participation of soldiers and military hardware from the 366th Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Federation stationed in Karabakh.
The storming of the city was preceded by a massive artillery bombardment from heavy military equipment starting on the evening of February 25. This led to a fire engulfing the city, and by 5 a.m. on February 26, Khojaly was almost completely aflame. The remaining population, approximately 2,500 people, was forced to flee their homes, attempting to reach Agdam, the nearest predominantly Azerbaijani-populated area.
Despite their efforts, the armed formations continued their military actions, resulting in the deaths of 613 individuals, including 63 children, 106 women, and 70 elderly people. Eight families were completely annihilated. Twenty-five children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Additionally, 487 individuals were wounded, including 76 children, and 1,275 people were taken hostage. A total of 150 people remain missing.
The state and personal property damage inflicted is estimated at 5 billion rubles (April 1992 prices), reflecting the immense tragedy of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that began in February 1988. The catalyst for this tragedy was the declaration of independence by the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on January 6, 1992, and the subsequent violent dispute over contested territories.
On February 28, a group of local journalists managed to reach the site of the Azerbaijani deaths via two helicopters, encountering a horrifying scene of bodies strewn across the field. Despite covering fire from the second helicopter, only four bodies could be evacuated due to intense Armenian fire. The situation worsened on March 1, when a group of foreign and local journalists visited the site, finding bodies mutilated and desecrated. Many bodies had bullet wounds to the head, indicating that the wounded were executed. Further examination revealed evidence of scalping, ear and other organ removal, eye gouging, limb severance, numerous gunshot wounds, and injuries from stabbing weapons; some bodies were crushed by heavy machinery or burned.
Foreign newspapers at the time reported on the inhumanity of these atrocities:
- “Croix l’Événement” (Paris, March 25, 1992): “The Armenians attacked the Khojaly area. The whole world witnessed the disfigured corpses. Azerbaijanis speak of a thousand killed.”
- “Sunday Times” (London, March 1, 1992): “Armenian soldiers annihilated hundreds of families.”
- “Financial Times” (London, March 9, 1992): “The Armenians shot a column of refugees fleeing towards Agdam. The Azerbaijanis counted about 1200 corpses.”
- A Lebanese cameraman confirmed that the wealthy Dashnak community in his country was sending weapons and people to Karabakh.
- “The Times” (London, March 4, 1992): “Many were mutilated, and from one little girl, only the head remained.”
- “Izvestia” (Moscow, March 4, 1992): “The video camera showed children with their ears cut off. One old woman had half her face cut away. Men were scalped.”
Monuments to the victims of the Khojaly tragedy have been erected in Baku and other cities in Azerbaijan. A Day of Mourning is observed annually on February 26 in memory of this bloody event. During this period, the country’s leadership, members of the government, parliament deputies, representatives of civil society, and the diplomatic corps participate in commemorative ceremonies at the Khojaly Genocide Memorial in the Khatai district of Baku.
