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"I continue to insist that the fall of Shushi was a result of a political decision," Russian military journalist, the author of the WarGonzo project, Semen Pegov told a press conference on Wednesday, adding at the moment of signing the trilateral statement on November 9, the town was still under the control of the Artsakh Defense Army units.

Pegov, however, noted that the town was not fully controlled by Armenian forces, as units of Azerbaijani military also were there at the time.

"At the moment of the signing, fighting was on, which is an indisputable fact for me. I knew that from my sources at the frontline and secondly, on November 9 , at 5 a.m. when I came, a group of 400 military were just 2 km away from Shushi and were ready to take and clear the town," Pegov said, adding al least two groups of Defense Army units were in the town on that night.

"That means that Azerbaijan didn't fully control the town either. Moreover, on November 7, when Aliyev announced about taking the town, there were only several saboteurs in Shushi who had managed to infiltrate and take some positions there, firing at the units and military equipment of the Defense Army," said the Russian reported.

In Pegov's words, the handover outlined in the trilateral document was thus a result of not a military but a political decision. "I cannot assess on the rationale of the decision made by Armenia and Artsakh, as they were the ones who had understanding about the available reserves to continue the war," said the Russian reported. 

Asked about who had led the battles for Shushi, Pegov said that the situation was fully controlled by the Artsakh Minister of Defense, while on November 7 the deputy defense minister had been there as well.