Mardakert and Martuni Offensives

Mardakert and Martuni Offensives
	Part of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War
Date	Late summer to early autumn of 1992
Location	Mardakert and Martuni, Nagorno-Karabakh.
Result	Armenian victory
Belligerents
Nagorno-Karabakh	Azerbaijan
Commanders and leaders
Monte Melkonian	Unknown
Strength
3,000 soldiers ; 10–20 T-72 tanks ; 20 APCs	At least 6,000 soldiers ; 32 T-72 tanks ; 50 APCs and IFVs
Casualties and losses
200–400 killed 2–3 tanks destroyed	600–1,200 killed Dozens of tanks

The Mardakert and Martuni Offensives took place during the late summer and early autumn months of 1992 in fighting between Armenians and Azeris during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

On June 27, the Azeri offensive was launched towards the adjacent village of Jardar where Armenian commando Monte Melkonian's fighters had dug in to confront them. The use of anti-tank projectiles decimated the Azeris' armor and allowed the detachments to resist being overrun. The presence of the armored vehicles were also proven to be useless in a close combat environment as they were found to be vulnerable targets where maneuvering space was limited and where the defenders easily picked off vehicles that strayed away from the fighting. Following the next day and subsequent weeks, several more offensives were launched by the Azeris, all of which were staved off and credited to Melkonian's organization and command leadership.