Azerbaijan honours memory of 22 officials killed in Armenian helicopter attack in Garakend 33 Years On

Today, November 20, marks the 33rd anniversary of the tragic event when Armenian armed forces shot down a Mi-8 helicopter over Garakend village in the Khojavend district, with Azerbaijani officials on board.  

The attack resulted in the deaths of 22 people, including prominent state officials, journalists, and members of the Russian-Kazakh peacekeeping mission, Caliber.Az reports.

The tragedy took place on November 20, 1991.

Among those on board the downed helicopter were:  
- Tofig Ismayilov – State Secretary  
- Ismat Gayibov – Prosecutor General  
- Mahammad Asadov – Minister of Internal Affairs  
- Zulfi Hajiyev – Vice Prime Minister  
- Vagif Jafarov – Member of Parliament  
- Vali Mammadov – Member of Parliament  
- Osman Mirzoyev – Head of the President's Office  
- Gurban Namazaliyev – Deputy Minister  
- Igor Plavitsky – Prosecutor of the NKAO  
- Vladimir Kovalyov – Head of the Internal Affairs Department of the NKAO  
- Sergey Ivanov – Head of National Security for Nagorno-Karabakh  
- Nikolai Zhinkin – Commandant of the Emergency Situation Area  
- Sanlal Serikov – Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan  
- Mikhail Lukashov – Major General of Police  
- Oleg Kocherov – Lieutenant Colonel  
- Rafig Mammadov – Assistant State Secretary  
- Ali Mustafayev – TV Journalist  
- Arif Huseynzada – Lighting Technician at AzTV  
- Fakhraddin Shahbazov – Cameraman  
- Vyacheslav Kotov – Helicopter Crew Commander  
- Gennady Domov – Helicopter Crew Member  
- Dmitry Yaryovenko – Helicopter Crew Member  

Initially, it was suggested that the helicopter crashed due to fog, but a few days later, it was confirmed that it had been shot down. By carrying out this terrorist act, Armenian separatists once again demonstrated their commitment to a terrorist ideology.  

Garakend village was liberated from Armenian occupation in 2023.