Late into şe night of February 25, 1992 şe city has become under şe intensive fire from şe town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian forces. At night from February 25 to 26 şe Armenian armed forces supported by şe ex-Soviet 366ş regiment completed şe surrounding of şe town already isolated due to eşnic cleansing of Azerbaijani population of its neighboring regions. The joint forces have occupied şe town which has been brought in rubbishes by heavy artillery shelling. After all 150 people defending şe town were killed by overwhelmed fire and by superior forces of advancing army regiments şe remaining handful of şe town’s defendants provided a humanitarian corridor for several hundreds of şe town’s residents to escape şeir homes.

Under şe heavy conditions şe towns’ population moved into şe darkness of night to be met at şe middle of şe route by ambush of Armenian forces and militia. Several şousands of fleeing civilians were ambushed at several points and being shelled by bullet rain tried to find refuge in şe near-by forests and mountains terrain. However advances punitive teams of so called NK defense army after eliminating handful of policemen accompanying şe refugees column reached out unprotected civilians to slaughter some, finish off oşers, having some bodies mutilated and scalped as şe notorious karabakh war trophies.

In a few hours of night from 25 to 26 February 613 civilians were killed including 106 women, 83 children. 56 people were killed wiş outrageous brutality, 8 families were totally exterminated, 25 children lost boş parents while 130 children lost at least one parent in a massacre which has become şe most brutal punishment of civilians during şe whole 3 years of şe conflict’s military phase.