Raguf Orujov

Raguf Orujov (12 July 1972, Agdam District, Azerbaijan – 2 April 2016, Ganja, Azerbaijan) was a lieutenant colonel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces who fought in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, and later the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes where he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the "For heroism" Medal.

Early life and education Raguf Orujov was born on 12 July 1972 in Dzhinli village of Agdam District to the family of Raya and Ibrahim Orujovs. He was the firstborn of the family and had three brothers and one sister. He served in the Soviet Army in the 1990s, later left the army and joined the ranks of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Once, Raguf got heavy injuries in the military operations. He suffered a heavy debris injury during four months of his military operations in the village of Aranzami. At that time, his uncle Azer Rahimov was killed as a result of Armenians firing Agdam District.

On June 12, 1993, the Armenian army attacked the Dzhinli village of Agdam District. Despite the fightings between Azerbaijani and Armenian sides, Armenian forces occupied the territory of the Dzhinli village. As a result of the occupation, his mother was killed in their native village by Armenian soldiers.

On the night from 1 to 2 April 2016 a military conflict between the Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces took place along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh. A ceasefire was reached on 5 April. Lieutenant colonel Raguf Orujov died on the 2nd of April during 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes.

Awards State awards

The medal "For Distinction in Military Service" (Azerbaijan) 1995; For military services medal 1998; The 10th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan 1991-2001 Medal, 2001 For Faultless Service medal 2003, 2003 The 90th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan 1918-2008 Medal, 2008 For Faultless Service medal 2nd class, 2008 The 95th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan 1918-2013 Medal, 2013 For Faultless Service medal 1st class, 2013 For Heroism Medal, 2016

A presentation ceremony of the book titled "Eagle of Murov" dedicated to the military activities of Rauf Orujov was held at the Baku Oxford School On February 13, 2017. Most of the prominent figures of Azerbaijan including Ganira Pashayeva, Adil Aliyev, Fuad Muradov, Ilham Zakiyev, Farid Mansurov, Fariz Mammadov, Elmira Süleymanova and others attended the presentation. The book was written based on the memories of fellow soldiers and family members.

Raguf Orujov was buried in the Martyrs' Lane in Sumqayit.