Albert Agarunov
{{Short description|Azerbaijani military officer and war hero (1969–1992)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Albert Agarunov
| image = Albert Agarunov.jpg
| image_size = 200
| caption =
| native_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1969|04|25}}
| birth_place = Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR
| death_date = {{death date and age|1992|5|8|1969|04|25}}
| death_place = Shusha, Nagorno-Karabakh
| burial_place = Baku, Azerbaijan
| nationality = Azerbaijani
| occupation =
| parents = Agarun Agarunov
| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
|allegiance = {{flag|USSR}}
(1987–1989)
{{flag|Azerbaijan}}
(1991–1992)
|branch = {{army|USSR}}
{{army|Azerbaijan}}
|serviceyears = 1987–1992
|rank =
|battles = {{tree list}}
{{tree list/end}}
}}
}}
Albert Agarunovich Agarunov ({{langx|az| Albert Aqarunoviç Aqarunov}}; 25 April 1969 – 8 May 1992) was an Azerbaijani military officer and prominent war hero in Azerbaijan.{{Cite web |title=Azərbaycan Respublikası Müdafiə Nazirliyinin hərbi qulluqçularına "Azərbaycanın Milli Qəhrəmanı" adı verilməsi haqqında |url=http://e-qanun.az/framework/7468 |language=az}}
Agarunov was killed in action during the Battle of Shusha, in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, on May 9, 1992. His actions of valor during the battle posthumously earned him the National Hero of Azerbaijan, highest national title in the country.
Early life and military career
Albert Agarunov was born in a Baku suburb to Mountain Jewish parents,{{Cite news|url=http://aksakal.info/news-mountain-jews/person_juhuro/13805-albert-agarunovich-agarunov-tankist-nacionalnyy-geroy-azerbaydzhana.html|title=Альберт Агарунович Агарунов - танкист, Национальный герой Азербайджана.|newspaper=Aksakal Media|access-date=2016-10-13|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014060756/http://aksakal.info/news-mountain-jews/person_juhuro/13805-albert-agarunovich-agarunov-tankist-nacionalnyy-geroy-azerbaydzhana.html|archivedate=2016-10-14}}{{YouTube|pGec_hcN_qY}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://1905.az/albert-aqarunov-m%C9%99n-musahib%C9%99-ver%C9%99-bilmir%C9%99m/|title=Albert Aqarunov: "Mən müsahibə verə bilmirəm..." – 1905.az|website=1905.az|language=az-AZ|access-date=2017-12-30}}
=Military service=
He served in the Soviet Army from 1987 to 1989 in Georgia. Agarunov served as a tank commander during his military service in the Soviet military.
In 1991, Agarunov voluntarily enlisted in the Azerbaijani Army during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, serving again as 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/05/10/key-town-in-karabakh-seized-by-armenians/65199c22-d629-4f59-a66c-b5e301040348/|title=KEY TOWN IN KARABAKH SEIZED BY ARMENIANS|date=10 May 1992|first=Michael|last=Dobbs|work=Washington Post}} 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 tank commanded by Gagik Avsharian, successfully disabling the tank.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}
Death and legacy
According to Haji Azimov, an Azerbaijani officer who was present at the battle, Agarunov left his tank to remove the bodies of dead Azerbaijani soldiers lying on the streets of Shusha, and he was hit by sniper fire. Agarunov was killed on the road connecting Shusha to Lachin on 8 May 1992.De Waal. Black Garden, p. 314, note 42. Agarunov was posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan and was buried at Martyrs' Lane cemetery in Baku in May 1992, where his funeral was attended by both Imams and Rabbis. The school in Baku from which Albert graduated was renamed after him.{{cite web|title=Suraxanı rayonunda Azərbaycanın Milli Qəhrəmanı Albert Aqarunovun xatirəsi anılmışdır|url=http://surakhani-ih.gov.az/news/101.html|website=surakhani-ih.gov.az|accessdate=9 March 2017}}
In 2017, a memorial plaque was placed in Albert Agarunov's house in Amirjan settlement of Surakhani district.{{Cite news|url=https://az.trend.az/azerbaijan/karabakh/2393705.html|title=Şuşanın işğal günü amerikalı müəllifdən önəmli məqalə|date=2015-05-12|work=Trend.Az|access-date=2017-12-30|language=az-AZ}}
In 2020, a monument honoring him, including a giant statue of Agarunov, was unveiled in Baku.{{Cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/remembering-albert-agarunov-the-jewish-hero-of-azerbaijan-628278|publisher=The Jerusalem Post|title=Remembering Albert Agarunov, the Jewish hero of Azerbaijan|access-date=2020-08-18|first=Arye|last=Gut|date=17 May 2020}}
Awards
- 50px (1992) — National Hero of Azerbaijan
- (2014) — "Son of the Fatherland" order {{Cite web|url=https://az.trend.az/azerbaijan/society/2271954.html|title=Şəhid Milli Qəhrəman Albert Aqarunov "Vətən övladı" ordeninə layiq görülüb|website=trend.az|date=8 May 2014|language=az|access-date=2014-05-08}}
- 25px (2016) — Hazi Aslanov medal{{cite news|title=Milli Qəhrəman Albert Aqarunov ordenlə təltif edilib|url=http://news.lent.az/news/241722|accessdate=7 March 2017|archive-date=21 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621111049/http://news.lent.az/news/241722|url-status=dead}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-jewish-warrior-in-a-muslim-land/ A Jewish Warrior in a Muslim Land]
{{National Heroes of Azerbaijan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agarunov, Albert}}
Category:Military personnel from Baku
Category:Azerbaijani military personnel of the Nagorno-Karabakh War
Category:Azerbaijani military personnel killed in action
Category:National Heroes of Azerbaijan