"Only a bandit could cause such devastation to Karabakh, and then mine it" General Volokh hosted by Caliber.Az

Caliber.Az presents an interview with Lieutenant General of Russia's Internal Service Alexander Volokh who in 1991 headed the military commandant's offices of Fuzuli and Khojavand regions of Azerbaijan.

- Alexander Ivanovich, recently you visited Azerbaijani lands liberated from Armenian occupation. You visited Fuzuli 31 years after your departure. What did you feel when you saw your duty stations?

- First of all, I would like to mention the Azerbaijani servicemen I saw in the liberated territories. They are neat and polite guys, it's a completely different army, well-equipped, and professional. It is evident that a colossal job has been done in the country in terms of strengthening the armed forces. And that deserves respect. Even after my departure from Azerbaijan in 1991, I have been following closely the development of Azerbaijan and its emergence as an independent state. I was happy and worried about the observed processes.

Now, as for impressions of what I saw in the Fuzuli district. Of course, I have dreamed of going back to Fuzuli for 30 years, to worship the places with which I have so many memories. But the closer we drove to the district center - the town of Fuzuli, the more destruction we saw on both sides of the road. The sight of the city razed to the ground caused me to feel very sad. Everything was destroyed, everything was mined, and hills and plains were overgrown with 20 years of weeds, where once thriving Azerbaijani villages were located. Destroyed and looted Azerbaijani cemeteries. The occupiers purposefully destroyed all traces of Azerbaijani presence. I had very sad feelings about destroyed vineyards - I saw how, with what diligence before the occupation the Azerbaijanis cultivated them. And now hundreds, thousands of twisted poles stand orphaned. It's a real graveyard of vineyards. Only a bandit can come and destroy everything, and lastly mine it. The owner comes and restores everything.

- Were you able to find the place where the military commandant's office was located in 1991?

- Yes. You won't believe it, but now there is a magnificent Fuzuli International Airport. And I cannot but admire the speed with which Azerbaijan is bringing the liberated territories back to life.

- Where have you been besides Fuzuli?

- I have visited ancient Shusha. A new beautiful road, built in accordance with European standards, leads to it. Let me put it this way: there are very few roads of this kind in Russia. And here only a year and a half have passed since the war, and road and energy infrastructure is already being built. I have seen new and modern substations, and I have seen how power transmission poles are being installed in the mountains. Moreover, the work is being done around the clock, in several shifts. Azerbaijan has thrown all its forces to bring Karabakh back to life. And this more than clearly indicates that the true owner has returned home. All this aroused my admiration.

As a military man, I want to note that the liberation of Shusha is the pinnacle of military art. This is shocking! These are the rocks, and mountains, over which the Azerbaijani military with weapons and equipment climbed to fight the Armenian occupants in Shusha hand-to-hand and thereby prevent the destruction of this ancient pearl of Azerbaijan. The city was in a state of disrepair because the Armenians didn't care about it. More than that: Shusha was like an eyesore for Armenians because it constantly reminded them that it was the center of Azerbaijani culture. And now Shusha is reviving and being reconstructed. Although traces of enemy shelling are still visible.

- Were you able to communicate with Russian peacekeepers?

- Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Although I really wanted to. Just to see their sentiments, to tell them about how we served here many, many years ago. All the more I wanted to talk to them after the recent report of an attempt to smuggle weapons into their zone of temporary responsibility. It is very sad when peacekeeping turns into a business. Unfortunately, there were similar cases in the years when I served in Fuzuli. When there is no clear political will and no clear guidelines for the army, the troops get out of control and start living their own life.

- I can't help asking you one last question. The people of Fuzuli always speak well of you. Have you managed to find any of the people you helped in those years?

- Many years have passed since then. But during the trip, I got into a conversation with an Azerbaijani officer. It turned out that he was from Fuzuli. He was only 7 years old when I served there. But on hearing my name, he immediately recalled that his father often remembered me with respect, telling him that there was a military commandant in Fuzuli who protected and rescued peaceful Azerbaijanis from Armenian militants. Then we stopped at a roadside cafe, whose owner was also from Fuzuli. He hugged me goodbye and told me that I was always welcome in his place.

We also passed the villages of Edeli and Dudukchi in the Khojavand region. By the way, in the latter in 1991 the Armenian militants ambushed me - I interfered greatly with them because of my principled position.

Of course, being in Baku, I could not avoid visiting the grave of my esteemed former Minister of Interior Mahammad Asadov, who was tragically killed in a helicopter in the skies over Garakend in November 1991. He was a very brave man, a real patriot.

If memory serves me right, in March 1992 I sent my article to "Vyshka" in which I expressed my attitude to the injustice against Azerbaijan. And I was very pleased that after its publication I received many telegrams from ordinary people of Fuzuli.

You know, I have said more than once that the Azerbaijani people were lucky twice in a short period of time - once in 1993, when Heydar Aliyev returned to power, preventing the country from falling apart and descending into civil war, and laying the foundations for its future economic prosperity. And the second time, when Heydar Aliyev's work was continued by Ilham Heydarovich, who managed to restore justice and return the occupied Azerbaijani territories. And this is not the only merit of the current president of Azerbaijan. He, firstly, managed to unite in a single fist the nation, which suddenly realized its strength and ability to restore historical justice, and secondly, to create such a powerful army, which raised the prestige and authority of Azerbaijan in the eyes of the world community. Ilham Aliyev is not only a politician and diplomat but also a great creator. He has foreseen all his actions for many moves ahead. In particular, he knocked the stool from under the feet of those who wanted to accuse Azerbaijan of "another genocide of Armenians in Karabakh".

I am also grateful to Ilham Aliyev for removing the guilt that has been in my heart since 1991. The guilt that I wanted to do something more for the Azerbaijanis in Fuzuli and Khojavand, but could not for reasons beyond my control.