Jewish hero of Azerbaijan - Albert Agarunov died 30 years ago defending his motherland

Albert Agarunov, Azerbaijan’s National Hero of Jewish descent, died 30 years ago while participating in the defense of the country’s Shusha city against the Armenian invasion.

Agarunov was born on April 25, 1969, in the Amirdzhany settlement of the city of Baku into a Jewish family, Caliber.Az reports.

His father, Agarun Agarunov was an oilman, worked for many years in the oil fields in Surakhany, and his mother Lio Izyaevna was honored with "Mother Heroine" medal for raising ten children, of which Albert was the family’s youngest son.

With the outbreak of the First Karabakh War, Albert volunteered for the National Army that was being created and went to the frontline. He has contributed significantly to the establishment of tank units of the National Army as a qualified tankman by training his fellow servicemen to operate the T-72 tank.

The tank crew of Agarunov has made the headlines for its valor in battles along the entire front line, including in the direction of Khankendi, Khojaly, and Shusha cities.  Nine tanks and two armored trucks of the Armenian forces have been eliminated by Agarunov’s crew during battles in 1991. He invented his own style of attack, known by his comrades as the Jewish Sandwich. Successful deployment of his tactic, which resembled the well-known “one shot, one kill” method, has led to destruction of two more tanks in 1992. Armenians reportedly offered five million Russian rubles for his capture at the time.

On May 8, 1992, when Shusha was occupied by Armenia, Agarunov could not survive a sniper fire while trying to move the bodies of his dead fellow soldiers from the battlefield.

On June 7, 1992, Albert Agarunov was awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan posthumously for his valor and courage shown during the defense of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and ensuring the safety of the civilian population.

Every year in Azerbaijan, on the birthday of Albert Agarunov, April 25, events are held dedicated to his memory. In 2017, in Sumgayit, and in 2018, in Baku, an international karate tournament in memory of Albert Agarunov was held.

Baku secondary school No. 154, which Albert Agarunov graduated from, is named after him. There is a bust of the hero in front of the school, as well as a corner dedicated to his memory inside the building.

In the all-Jewish Krasnaya Sloboda village in the Guba district of Azerbaijan, one of the streets bears the name of Albert Agarunov, a memorial plaque in honor of the National Hero is installed on the wall of one of the buildings on the same street.

In 2017, a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of the house in the village of Amirdzhany, where Agarunov lived. One of the streets of capital Baku was named after Agarunov in 2018, and on November 15, 2019, his monument was unveiled on this street.