RA Minister of Defense during the war
1992 Vazgen Manukyan was appointed RA Minister of State and then Acting Minister of Defense in September 2006. At that time, the RA regular army was finally formed, after many defeats the period of brilliant victories of the Karabakh army began, and hostilities were replaced by political negotiations.
Kapan operation
1992 ․ During the autumn and winter months, the situation on the country’s borders was dire. Shahumyan and Martakert were in the hands of the enemy, Kichan, accordingly, Stepanakert and the whole of Karabakh, under constant threat. Walking through the Lachin corridor was extremely dangerous, sometimes impossible. The enemy was shelling the Armenian villages of Kapan region with different weapons, endangering the Kapan-Goris highway.
1992 Since April 24, the border clashes have turned into serious hostilities. The city of Kapan and the border settlements were massively shelled.
A decision is made to take measures to eliminate the most dangerous bases of the enemy. Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Lieutenant General Hrachya Andreasyan develops a plan, Yuri Khachaturov is appointed head of the operation.
The operation starts early in the morning of December 10. After several hours of fighting, the Armenian side managed to completely defeat the enemy and change the outcome of the war.
The author of the operation was the Minister of Defense Vazgen Manukyan.
Karvachar operation
The operation to destroy the Azeri military base in the Karvachar region, to liberate the occupied settlements, and to crush the Lachin-Kelbajar group of the Azerbaijani army took place in 1993. March 27 to April 2. It was also during Vazgen Manukyan’s tenure, under his direct leadership.
The quarry was very strong in its position. Martakert was being shelled from Karvachar, the enemy forces stationed in Karvachar were a great danger to the planes supplying Shahumyan partisan detachments. It was not possible to liberate Karvachar in one direction. It is carried out in three directions by simultaneous attack.
1993 The Karabakh war seemed to be entering its final phase. The Minister of Defense Vazgen Manukyan, under whose leadership the operations in Kapan and Karvachar had already been successfully carried out, was preparing for the liberation of Martakert with a different enthusiasm. about the genocide. Armenians fleeing Martakert pass through the forest, leaving torn pieces of clothing and children’s toys on tree branches. Unburied corpses were dumped in the valley. I had only seen such scenes in movies and I saw them with my own eyes at that moment. A person was crying from that horrible scene. It was then that I seemed to swear to myself that no matter what, Martakert will be ours again one day!
After becoming Minister of Defense, Vazgen Manukyan remained faithful to his oath. Immediately after the Karvachar operation, preparations for the liberation of Martakert began. In a very short time they regrouped their forces and resources. Operations began in early summer 1993. It can be said that the Armenian forces are fighting on the whole northern front. On June 26, they managed to capture the heights called “TV Tower” and “Pushken Yal”. the latter wonders what that means. Vazgen Manukyan explains that at night the intelligence will enter Martakert, and in the morning the army will enter the city, and tomorrow Martakert will be ours again. Everything went according to plan, on June 27 Martakert was liberated. The Armenian side moved to the defense of the dominant heights, the main road directions.
The enemy had no other chance of victory. And everyone realized that.
1993 In August, Vazgen Manukyan resigned as Minister of Defense, playing a significant role in winning the Artsakh war during his one-year tenure.
