Lachin City before Armenian occupation Rare archive footage/VIDEO

December 1 has marked three years since the liberation of Lachin district from years of Armenian occupation.

In connection with this date, Azerbaijan Television (AzTV) presented footage of Lachin town shot before the occupation, Caliber.Az reports.

Lachin district was occupied by Armenian armed forces on May 18, 1992. On December 1, 2020, as a result of the victorious Patriotic War, it was liberated from years of Armenian occupation.

As a result of Armenian occupation, more than 300 military and civilians were killed, 65 were taken hostage, 103 Lachin residents became disabled, 18 children aged 1-16 out of 24,374 children living in the district were killed, 225 became disabled, 31 lost both parents. As a result of the occupation, 63,340 Azerbaijani citizens were displaced. 133 large and medium-sized enterprises, 217 cultural centres, about 40 cultural and historical monuments and dozens of schools remained in the occupied territory.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in his congratulatory message to the Azerbaijani people on the liberation of Lachin district: "With a feeling of great joy I inform you that Lachin district has been liberated from occupation. I cordially congratulate all Azerbaijani people on this occasion. The liberation of the Lachin district from occupation is a historical event. And we won back the Lachin district without a single shot. We forced the enemy to do it. The bright victory won on the battlefield led to this wonderful result, our three districts - Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin districts - were returned to us. We returned these districts without a single shot, without a single martyr".