Albert Agarunov

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Albert Agarunov
Albert Agarunov – National Hero of Azerbaijan
Born	(1969-04-25)April 25, 1969 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR
Died	May 8, 1992(1992-05-08) (aged 23) Shusha
Burial place	Baku, Azerbaijan
Nationality	Jewish
Occupation	Military
Parent(s)	Agarun Agarunov
Awards

Albert Agarunovich Agarunov (Azerbaijani: Albert Aqarunoviç Aqarunov) (25 April 1969 – 8 May 1992) is a Jewish National Hero of Azerbaijan^[1] 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.

Life[]

Albert Agarunov was born in a Baku suburb to Mountain Jewish parents,^[2][3] 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."^[4]

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, Agarunov voluntarily enlisted in the Azerbaijani Army in the war against ethnic Armenian separatists in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, becoming a tank commander.

In May 1992, Armenian forces launched a successful assault to capture the strategically important town of Shusha, in order to break the Siege of Stepanakert. Agarunov fought in a battalion led by Elchin Mammadov during the battle, where he took part in a tank engagement against an Armenian T-72 commanded by Gagik Avsharian, successfully disabling the tank.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[5] After his death, Azerbaijani soldiers started to refer to their tanks as "Albert."^[6] 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.^[7]

In 2017, a memorial plaque was placed in Albert Agarunov's house in Amirjan settlement of Surakhani district.^[8]

In 2020, a monument honoring him, including a giant statue of Agarunov, was unveiled in Baku.^[9]

Awards[]

• (1992) — National Hero of Azerbaijan^[1]
• (2014) — "Son of the Fatherland" order ^[10]
• (2016) — Hazi Aslanov medal^[11]

References[]

External links[]

• A Jewish Warrior in a Muslim Land