"Every stone in Karabakh holds the blood of martyrs": a veteran of the Patriotic War recounted the battles for Shusha

The culmination of the Patriotic War was the battle for Shusha… A battle that today's, tomorrow's, and future generations will talk about for a very long time.

"The Battle for Shusha became an incredible event in the military history of Azerbaijan and the entire world. We are proud to have participated in this battle," says veteran of the Patriotic War, chief of staff of the special forces detachment of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Captain Vusal Hasanov.

And this feeling of pride is, to a certain extent, inherent to every citizen of Azerbaijan.

We present to our readers an interview by Report with a direct participant in the battle for Shusha:

- Let's start with your interest in military affairs. As far as I know, you also underwent training in Turkey.

- Yes, in 2007 I began my service in the Internal Troops as an extended active military service member. After some time, given my higher education and completion of courses in Turkey, I was awarded an officer rank.

In Azerbaijan, all special forces personnel undergo specialized training: a commando course, a parachute program, a basic gendarmerie course, and close combat training. I also successfully completed each of these programs. In total, I served 16 years in the special forces detachment of the Internal Troops.

- You were promoted to the rank of captain ahead of schedule. There must have been a special reason for that.

- In accordance with the Regulations on Military Service, servicemen who successfully complete a combat mission may be promoted early. At that time, I was a senior lieutenant, and I had more than two years remaining before the rank of captain. However, thanks to the successful completion of the mission, I was promoted to captain ahead of schedule.

- Let's move on to the Patriotic War. You are originally from the village of Mahmudbeyli in the Fizuli district… Some of the heaviest fighting took place precisely in the Fizuli direction.

- Yes. In 1993, the Fizuli district and almost all of its settlements were occupied, but not our village. Therefore, for about 30 years, Mahmudbeyli essentially bordered Armenian positions.

In 2020, I held the position of chief of staff of the special forces detachment in one of the military units of the Internal Troops of the MIA. On September 27, 2020, the enemy resorted to numerous provocations along the borders of Azerbaijan. By order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, our army launched a counter-offensive operation.

As a special forces operative, I began my combat journey in the Fizuli direction. There