The War Over Memory: How Albert Agarunov Became a Target of Digital Disinformation

More than three decades after his death in the battle for Shusha, Albert Agarunov remains one of the most powerful symbols in the national memory of Azerbaijan. Jewish by origin, a tank commander by profession, and a national hero by state recognition, Agarunov has long occupied a singular place in the country’s political and moral narrative.

But in recent weeks, his name has become the center of a new kind of battle — not on the battlefield, but in the digital sphere.

A network of social media accounts and media platforms linked to Iranian information ecosystems has begun circulating claims aimed at discrediting Agarunov’s legacy. These posts allege that he never fought in the war, never performed acts of heroism, and did not die in Karabakh. Some go even further, claiming he emigrated to Israel and is still alive today.

To lend credibility to these claims, the posts cite an article published by Globes, one of Israel’s most prominent financial newspapers.

The problem is that the article says precisely the opposite.

The Globes piece reconstructs Agarunov’s life in detail: his service in the Soviet Army, his return to Baku, his voluntary decision to join the Azerbaijani army in 1992, his role in the tank battles for Shusha, and his death on May 8, 1992, from an Armenian sniper’s bullet.

Far from debunking his story, the article reinforces it.

More importantly, Globes presents Agarunov as something larger than a soldier: a rare historical symbol — a Jewish fighter buried among Azerbaijani Shiite martyrs in Baku’s Martyrs’ Alley. In a region where identity is often defined by division, his burial became a powerful civic symbol transcending religion and ethnicity.

That symbolism may explain why he has become such a sensitive target.

Agarunov’s story has long moved beyond military history. In Azerbaijan, it represents a foundational national idea: that belonging is defined not by blood or religion, but by choice and sacrifice.

For Israel, his story stands as evidence of a historical coexistence between Jews and Muslims in the Caucasus.

For Iran, however, it is a more uncomfortable reminder: that the world’s second-largest Shiite-majority state after Iran itself has built one of the closest strategic partnerships with Israel.

Seen through that lens, the campaign against Agarunov is about far more than historical revisionism.

It is an attempt to undermine one of the rare narratives where Azerbaijani statehood, Jewish identity, and military sacrifice converge into a single story.

Such information campaigns have become an increasingly important part of regional rivalry. Since the 2020 war and the deepening of ties between Baku and Tel Aviv Tel Aviv, Iranian-aligned media have increasingly used symbolic figures as instruments of political pressure.

Agarunov is among the clearest of those symbols.

His tank remains on display in Baku’s Military History Museum. Streets and schools bear his name. Every April 25, commemorative ceremonies are held across Azerbaijan in his honor. And in Shusha, his former comrades recently installed a memorial plaque bearing his image.

“Albert is with us. We did not abandon him,” they said.

In the age of digital warfare, memory itself has become a battlefield — as contested as territory or history.

And in the case of Albert Agarunov, the struggle is no longer about the past.

It is about who has the right to define national truth.

Globes: Azerbaijan’s Kahalani: The Jewish Martyr of a Shiite State

In the early 1990s, Albert Agarunov was preparing to repatriate from Azerbaijan to Israel. But the war with Armenia forced him to voluntarily join the Azerbaijani army without his parents’ knowledge. After his death, he was declared a National Hero and buried alongside fallen soldiers, most of whom were Shiites. His family, which later moved to Israel, says: “Albert became part of the process of normalization between the two countries.”

When the average Israeli hears the word “Shiite,” it usually evokes associations with religious extremism, the regime of Iranian ayatollahs, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. If the word “martyr” is added, the mind often drifts toward terrorist attacks.

Yet one of Israel’s closest friends and most reliable Muslim allies is Azerbaijan — a predominantly Shiite country bordering Iran. In the capital city of Baku, there is the Alley of Martyrs — a memorial complex and cemetery for national heroes. Among them rests Sergeant Albert Agarunov, a Jewish war hero in a country located at the very heart of the Caucasus.

Agarunov died in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War — a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over disputed territory that tore the Caucasus apart in the final years of the Soviet Union and during the first years of independence of the former Soviet republics.

Agarunov’s memory occupies a special place in Azerbaijan. Several years ago, a monument in his honor was erected in central Baku, and the street where it stands was named after him. The school where he studied bears Albert Agarunov’s name, as does a school in the city of Quba, where his family originated. After his death, he was awarded state honors, and the tank in which he fought is displayed in the Military History Museum.

Every year on April 25, the day of his birth, memorial ceremonies, concerts, and sports competitions dedicated to his memory are held across Azerbaijan.

The Mountain Jews of the Caucasus

For Israeli society, the story of a Jewish war hero in a Muslim country may seem unusual. But the ethnic diversity of the Caucasus created, over centuries, an environment where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived side by side as neighbors and friends.

The territory of modern Azerbaijan has endured countless historical upheavals. In the 11th century, Turkic nomadic tribes arrived here and later contributed to the formation of the Azerbaijani people. Before regaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan had already experienced a brief period of statehood between 1918 and 1920.

Frequent political changes and migration processes in the Caucasus led to the formation of a unique Jewish community — the Mountain Jews. They lived mainly in the regions between Quba and Derbent, as well as in other settlements of the region.

Mountain Jews speak Juhuri — a Judeo-Tat language of Persian origin. Their religious traditions adapted to the Muslim environment: for example, they pray barefoot and use carpets during prayer.

Over time, members of this community achieved significant success in business and rose to prominent positions in the economies of Russia, Israel, and the United States.

The Agarunov Family

During World War II, Azerbaijan held strategic importance because of the oil fields of Baku. It was in this period that the history of the Agarunov family began.

Because of the high demand for labor in the oil industry, many residents of the region could avoid conscription into the Red Army by working in the oil sector.

At the age of 18, Aaron Agarunov moved from Quba to Baku and began working in the oil industry. His shifts lasted 18 to 20 hours. After the war, he remained in Baku, started a family, and continued observing Jewish traditions.

In 1969, in Amirjan, a suburb of Baku, his wife Leah gave birth to the family’s tenth child — Albert.

Relatives recall: “We Jews lived with our Azerbaijani neighbors like one family. Armenians, Russians, and Muslims lived nearby, and no one ever asked what religion you belonged to.”

Albert grew up intelligent, cheerful, and talented. He loved music, played the piano, and had a strong sense of humor.

His brother Rantik remembers: “In our family, the older ones always took care of the younger ones.”

Service in the Soviet Army

In 1987, like most of his peers in the Soviet Union, Albert was drafted into the army and sent to the tank forces in Georgia.

During his service, he rose to the rank of tank commander. In 1988, his unit participated in relief efforts following the devastating earthquake in Armenia.

After being demobilized in 1989, he returned to Baku and began working at a factory producing oil pumps.

He lived through the events of Black January in 1990, when Soviet troops entered Baku and killed more than one hundred civilians.

The Choice of War

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan gained independence, but was almost immediately drawn into the Karabakh war.

At first, Albert planned to move to Israel and had already completed all the necessary documents for repatriation.

But the war changed everything.

While his parents were in Ukraine, he made the decision to volunteer for the front.

When his mother begged him to return home, he replied: “This is my country.”

His brother Rantik says: “Albert went to fight for his homeland and out of patriotism.”

A Legend of Tank Battles

Captain Haji Azimov Haji Azimov, commander of the 33rd Tank Brigade, recalls:

“Albert joined our brigade in January 1992 as a tank commander.”

He chose tank number 533 and refused to change it, saying: “Thirty-three is a lucky number for Jews.”

In March 1992, Albert took part in the battles for Shusha.

According to Azimov: “He destroyed nine Armenian tanks and several armored vehicles.”

On one occasion, he managed to disable two tanks with a single shot. His comrades called it: “The Jewish sandwich.”

The Armenian side placed a bounty of five million rubles on his head.

Azimov says: “He was like a brother to everyone. Everyone loved him.”

Albert stood out not only for his combat skills but also for his humanity. During battles, he often climbed out of his tank to evacuate the wounded and the bodies of fallen comrades.

Death

On May 8, 1992, during one of the battles, Albert left his tank and was mortally wounded by an Armenian sniper.

The family learned of his death not from the military, but from political representatives — the chaos of the time had effectively paralyzed the notification system.

Albert’s sister Sofia recalls: “I remember that day as if it were yesterday.”

Burial

When the command asked his father where Albert should be buried — in the Jewish cemetery or beside the other martyrs — he answered: “Beside those who died for the Motherland.”

And so, Albert Agarunov was buried in Baku’s Alley of Martyrs.

Both a rabbi and a mullah attended the funeral.

Thousands of people gathered to accompany him on his final journey.

After his son’s death, his father Aaron visited his grave every day for an entire year. A few days after the first anniversary of Albert’s death, he too passed away.

After the War

Albert’s mother Leah endured the loss with great pain, but continued living for the sake of her family.

By 1995, the family had fully repatriated to Israel and settled in Acre.

Despite the move, the family continues to regard Azerbaijan as their homeland.

Rantik says: “Albert is still highly respected in Azerbaijan today. The Ministry of Defense, the Presidential Administration, and the State Committee on Diaspora Affairs remain in contact with us.”

Whenever Azerbaijani officials visit Israel, they make sure to visit the family.

Recently, Albert’s former comrades traveled once again to Shusha and installed a memorial plaque bearing his photograph.

They said: “Albert is with us. We have not abandoned him. The Jewish son of our people remains with us in Shusha.”