This year marks the 34th anniversary of the liberation of Stepanakert’s Krkzhan district.
On the night of January 19 and into the early hours of January 20, 1992, Artsakh defense units carried out a decisive operation that dismantled a key Azerbaijani military stronghold and forced enemy forces to abandon their positions.
Since 1990, Krkzhan, comprising nearly a quarter of Stepanakert, had been transformed into a heavily fortified Azerbaijani outpost. From there, the city was subjected to constant and indiscriminate bombardment.
Following the withdrawal of Soviet police and army units from Artsakh in November 1991, Azerbaijani forces began actively supplying weapons to territories under their control. After seizing the Krkzhan to Stepanakert road, they significantly intensified shelling of the capital.
Between December 26 and 27, Armenian units launched attacks on Azerbaijani positions outside Krkzhan but were forced to withdraw after sustaining four casualties. In the days that followed, Armenian forces secured surrounding areas and completed preparations for a final assault.
On January 19 and 20, a forty member unit led by Dushman Vardan, Vardan Stepanyan, infiltrated enemy lines and launched a surprise attack from the rear. The maneuver threw Azerbaijani defenses into disarray, leading to their collapse and the liberation of Krkzhan.
