Albert Agarunov

Albert Agarunovich Agarunov (Azerbaijani: Albert Aqarunoviç Aqarunov) (25 April 1969 – 8 May 1992) is a National Hero of Azerbaijan and Starshina of the Azerbaijani Army who died during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. He was among Azerbaijanis defending Shusha, which was captured by Armenian forces during the Battle of Shusha on May 9, 1992.

Albert Agarunov
Albert Agarunov – National Hero of Azerbaijan
Born(1969-04-25)April 25, 1969
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR
DiedMay 8, 1992(1992-05-08) (aged 23)
Shusha
Burial placeBaku, Azerbaijan
NationalityAzerbaijani, Jewish
OccupationMilitary
Parent(s)Agarun Agarunov
Awards

Life

Albert Agarunov was born in a Baku suburb to Mountain Jewish parents,[1][2] Agarun, who was an oil-worker from Quba, and Leah Agarunov. Albert was one of the family's ten children. During his school years, Albert was interested in music, and he took trumpet lessons. After obtaining a degree in technology, he started working at a machine building factory, as a metal turner. His brother, Rantik Agarunov, stated that: "The only thing Albert did not like, was aggression and abusive attitudes towards the vulnerable."[3]

Military service
The road to leading to Shusha where the encounter between Avsharian's and Agarunov's tanks took place.

He served in the Soviet Army from 1987 to 1989 in Georgia. Agarunov was a tank commander during his military service.

Participation in Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

In 1991, Albert Agarunov voluntarily enlisted in the Azerbaijani Army in the war against Armenia to defend the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He became a tank commander.

Agarunov fought in a battalion, led by Elchin Mammadov to retake the town of Shusha from Armenian control. In the defense of Shusha in May 1992, when the Armenians launched the successful assault to take this strategically important town, Agarunov was assigned tank No.533 and took part in the war with his tank engagement against a T-72, commanded by Gagik Avsharian, disabling the T-72 outside of the town of Shusha.

Death and commemorations

Commander Haji Azimov said that Agarunov left his vehicle to remove the bodies of dead Azerbaijani soldiers lying on the streets, and he was hit by sniper fire. Agarunov was killed on the road connecting Shusha to Lachin on 8 May 1992.[4] After his death, Azerbaijani soldiers started to refer to their tanks as "Albert."[5] Albert Agarunov was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan and was buried at Martyrs' Lane in Baku in May, 1992, attended by both Imams and Rabbis. The school in Baku from which Albert graduated was renamed after him.[6]

In 2017, a memorial plaque was placed in Albert Agarunov's house in Amirjan settlement of Surakhani district.[7]

In 2020, a monument honoring him, including a giant statue of Agarunov, was unveiled in Baku.[8]

Awards

References
  1. "Альберт Агарунович Агарунов - танкист, Национальный герой Азербайджана". Aksakal Media. Archived from the original on 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  2. Video on YouTube
  3. "Albert Aqarunov: "Mən müsahibə verə bilmirəm..." – 1905.az". 1905.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  4. De Waal. Black Garden, p. 314, note 42.
  5. "Бывший боец ОПОН: «Под Шушой нас заживо похоронили»". Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  6. "Suraxanı rayonunda Azərbaycanın Milli Qəhrəmanı Albert Aqarunovun xatirəsi anılmışdır". surakhani-ih.gov.az. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  7. "Şuşanın işğal günü amerikalı müəllifdən önəmli məqalə". Trend.Az (in Azerbaijani). 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2017-12-30.
  8. "Remembering Albert Agarunov, the Jewish hero of Azerbaijan". 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  9. "Şəhid Milli Qəhrəman Albert Aqarunov "Vətən övladı" ordeninə layiq görülüb". trend.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  10. "Milli Qəhrəman Albert Aqarunov ordenlə təltif edilib". Retrieved 7 March 2017.
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