YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijanis continue cultural vandalism in the occupied territories of Artsakh, destroying not only Armenian churches, khachkars (cross-stone), monuments dedicated to the Artsakh liberation war, Armenian cemeteries, but also statues of Armenian marshals who fought against Nazism in World War II. In particular, in the village of Mets Tagher in Artsakh's Hadrut region, Azeris destroyed the bust of USSR aviation marshal Armenak Khanperyants (Sergey Khudyakov) who originated from Artsakh. ARMENPRESS reports war.karabakhrecords.info informs, which tells about Azerbaijan's war crimes.

The website notes that the fact of desecrating the statue of Marshal Khanperyants became known from satellite photos taken in July, 2021.

''Satellite photos taken before the war show the Marshal's statue and the MiG-17 fighter in the area of the house-museum. However, in the photos taken months after the war, the statue of Armenak Khanperyants is missing in that area, and his "MIG-17" fighter is partially broken, thrown aside'', the website informs.

Earlier, Artsakh's Foreign Minister Davit Babayan also said that the monument to USSR Aviation Marshal Sergey Khudyakov (Armenak Khamperyants) was destroyed in the village of Mets Tagher, while the statues to one of the founding fathers of the Soviet air defense system, Colonel-General Sergei Sardarov and Admiral Ivan Isakov had been destroyed in Azokh village.