Armenians remember hero of Artsakh Leonid Azgadalyan. He would turn 77 today.
Azgadalyan was born in 1942 in Tbilisi. In 1947-1959, he studied at Yerevan School after A. Mravyan. In 1960, he was admitted to the Physics Department of Moscow State University after Lomonosov. He later transferred and graduated with honors from the same department at Yerevan State University with the profession of radio physicist.
From the beginnings of the Artsakh Movement, Azgadalyan, as a leading military figure, participated in national fight and played an active role in armed protection of the sacred dreams and dignity of the nation from any violation. From February 1990, he took upon himself the command of the Independence Army, organized the self-defense of several regions, especially Vardenis, participated in freedom fights, including the first attack of Nüvədi, and after the bloody provocation of the station and Sovetashen of May 27, planned and carried out the hindering of the penetration of soviet punishing armies into Yerevan.
Azgadalyan tied his entire fate to the liberation fight of Artsakh, fighting in Getashen and Shahumyan and later in Martakert regions. To inspire the freedom flight, together with Hovsep Hovsepyan, he established the military organization “Liberation Army” in June 1991, which brought a new quality to the survival fight of the Armenian nation through the combination of the efforts of Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora.
He was killed on June 21, 1992 in village Tonashen, Martakert. Posthumously he was awarded with the Order of the Combat Cross of the First Degree. On August 31, 2019, by the decree of Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan, for extraordinary service to the defense organization of the Republic of Artsakh, for courage and personal valiance demonstrated, Leonid Azgadalyan was posthumously awarded the highest order of Hero of Artsakh.
