Historical Timeline of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War

HYEDRAM Artsakh archival collection photograph; date and subject not verified — HYEDRAM archival photograph — subject and date unverified

Date	Historical event
1813	Treaty of Gulistan places Karabakh under Russian imperial sovereignty
1918–1920	Armenia and Azerbaijan dispute Karabakh following independence
March 1920	Armenian quarter of Shusha devastated during intercommunal violence
July 5, 1921	Caucasian Bureau decides to retain Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan with autonomy
July 1923	Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast established
February 20, 1988	Regional council requests transfer to Soviet Armenia
February 22, 1988	Deadly clashes near Askeran
February 27–29, 1988	Anti-Armenian pogrom in Sumgait
1988–1989	Large-scale Armenian and Azerbaijani displacement begins
January 1990	Anti-Armenian pogrom in Baku and Soviet military intervention
April–August 1991	Operation Ring and forced displacement of Armenian villagers
September 2, 1991	Nagorno-Karabakh Republic proclaimed
September 1991	Armenia declares independence
December 10, 1991	Nagorno-Karabakh independence referendum
December 1991	Soviet Union dissolves
February 25–26, 1992	Capture of Khojaly and mass killing of fleeing Azerbaijani civilians
April 10, 1992	Killings of Armenian civilians in Maragha
May 8–9, 1992	Armenian forces capture Shusha
May 18, 1992	Armenian forces capture Lachin
June 1992	Azerbaijani northern offensive begins
Late 1992	Armenian forces recover territory in northern Nagorno-Karabakh
March–April 1993	Armenian forces capture Kelbajar
April 30, 1993	UN Security Council Resolution 822
June 12, 1993	Monte Melkonian killed
July 23, 1993	Armenian forces capture Aghdam
July 29, 1993	UN Security Council Resolution 853
August 1993	Armenian forces capture Jabrayil, Qubadli, and large parts of Fuzuli
October 1993	Armenian forces capture Zangilan
October 14, 1993	UN Security Council Resolution 874
November 12, 1993	UN Security Council Resolution 884
December 1993	Azerbaijani winter counteroffensive begins
Early 1994	Azerbaijan recovers Horadiz and nearby territory
May 5, 1994	Bishkek Protocol endorsed
May 12, 1994	Ceasefire takes effect