Baku trial confirms Armenian shelling of Azerbaijan's Mingachevir city in 2020 war With “Smerch” missiles

At the ongoing trial held at the Baku Military Court, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev participated in the review of critical documents, including protocols of crime scene inspections and expert conclusions.

These documents detail the extensive damage inflicted on civilian infrastructure across the Republic of Azerbaijan and the resulting deaths of peaceful civilians during the 44-day war in 2020, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

A significant portion of the evidence focused on the deliberate shelling of Mingachevir — Azerbaijan’s fourth-largest city, located far outside the active conflict zone.

The investigation established that on the night of October 4, 2020, at approximately 22:00, the city of Mingachevir, along with the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Plant (LLC) located within the city, was intentionally targeted by the armed forces of Armenia. The attack employed "Smerch" multiple launch rocket systems, known for their high destructive capacity.

One of the rockets exploded near the gates of a private residence belonging to Elchin Yagub oglu Bagirov (born August 21, 1984), located at 60 Bozdag Street, Mingachevir. The blast caused severe damage to Bagirov’s house, his Hyundai Grandeur vehicle, and a KamAZ 55111 truck parked outside, owned by his relative, Atamoglan Sabir oglu Safarov (born October 13, 1958), a resident of Evoglu village in the Aghdam district. Physical injuries were reported to Bagirov, his mother Nabat Cherkez gyzy Bagirova (born September 10, 1957), Safarov, and a neighbor, Adil Mushvig oglu Ibragimli (born September 2, 2004).

The explosion left a crater at the impact site, and the cargo bed of the KamAZ truck, which featured a metal frame, was torn off and thrown into a nearby water canal approximately eight meters away.

The distance from the impact site to the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Plant was recorded as 2,800 meters, while the Mingachevir reservoir dam lay 5,300 meters away.

In a separate incident, another "Smerch" rocket landed in an empty space between the 6th and 7th power units of the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Plant, situated in the Azdres settlement of Mingachevir. The rocket penetrated the asphalt surface to a depth of 40 centimetres but did not detonate. This rocket landed 19 meters from the entrance to the 6th power unit and 29 meters from the entrance to the 7th unit.

Further shelling was documented on October 11, 2020, at approximately 5:00 a.m., when the power plant’s territory was again targeted. A rocket struck grassy land in the park area near the administrative building but failed to explode, resulting in no casualties.

Notably, there were no military installations near these impact sites, underscoring the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure.

The trial continues against Armenian citizens accused of war crimes, including crimes against peace and humanity, preparation and conduct of aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, among other serious offenses related to Armenia’s military aggression.

By Khagan Isayev