Battle for Hadrut: analysis of the Modern War Institute report## Translated from Russian to English

In March 2025, the founding director of the American Modern War Institute, retired Colonel Liam Collins and the head of the Urban Warfare Studies department of this institute, John Spencer, visited Azerbaijan, including Baku and territories liberated from occupation. The result of the trip was a detailed analytical report on the course and significance of the battle for Hadrut in October 2020 - one of the key episodes of the Second Karabakh War. The report is based on interviews with Azerbaijani military personnel, direct study of the terrain, and careful analysis of the combat operations.

This is stated in the latest issue of the analytical YouTube project Caliber.

"According to Collins and Spencer, Hadrut, despite its small size and population (about 3,100 people before the war), was extremely important in the strategic picture of the conflict. The city was located in a narrow corridor between Jabrayil and the central part of Karabakh, and control over it was necessary for the further advancement of Azerbaijani troops deep into the region. The geography of the area - a basin-like valley surrounded by high mountains - significantly enhanced the tactical importance of Hadrut.

Control over the city would mean the destruction of Armenian defense, weakening the morale of the enemy, and opening a direct path to Shusha - which subsequently happened," the report says.

More details in the video material: