The Battle of Sushi was fought on 8 May 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenian and Azeri forces. The city is a strategic point in the mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh and the occupation provided the controller with strategic advantages.
Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous province of the Azerbaijan Soviet Republic. In 1988 its government decided to secede from Azerbaijan and unite with Armenia. Azeris reacted and the first conflicts started before the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1992, however, the conflict had developed into an open war.
Start of conflicts
On January 26, 1992, the Azeris, based in Sushi, attacked the Armenian village of Karidak with the aim of advancing towards Stepanakerk. However the attack failed and the Azeris retreated with heavy losses – 70 dead . Following this victory, the Armenians decided to counterattack and occupy Sushi.
Susi is only 5 km from Stepanakerk and from there they could bombard the second city with their artillery. Sushi is built on a hill 600 m high and there is an old fortress there. The Armenians were behind in numbers and in terms of armaments compared to their opponents. Nevertheless, it was decided to attack.
The plan was drawn up by Major General Arkady Ter Tadeovosian and called for a series of decoy attacks to lure the Azeris out of the city. The Azeris had about 2,500 men, several tanks and powerful artillery, mainly multiple rocket launchers (MRP). The Armenians threw 1,000 men, four tanks and two Mi-Mi-24 helicopters into the battle.
Attack
On the evening of May 8, 1992, the Armenians launched the attack simultaneously from four points with about a company strength in each direction, keeping a force in reserve. Due to the rapid advance of the Armenians, the strong card of the Azeris, their artillery, failed to act.
Azeri commander Elbrus Oruyev also had a detachment of Chechen volunteers. Initially the Azeris successfully faced the Armenian attack. The Azerbaijanis even hit and immobilized an Armenian T-72 tank which had no armor-piercing missiles to respond.
The battle continued fiercely. In the afternoon, the Armenians managed to destroy three Azeri PEPs and occupy the rest. Gradually, the Armenians, climbing the walls of the old fortress, managed to enter the city, pushing back, although fewer, their opponents at the southern end of the city.
By the morning of May 9, the Armenians had become masters of the entire city. The Azeris fled in disorder. It is worth noting that the fanatical Chechen fighters were the last to defend the city.
The losses of the Armenians were small, reaching, depending on the source, up to 58 dead. On the contrary, the Azeris and their allies had at least 150 dead, 300 wounded and about 60 prisoners. It was the first victory of the Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.