The Capture of Shusha, referred to as the Liberation of Shushi by Armenians (Armenian: Շուշիի ազատագրումը Shushii azatagrumë) and Occupation of Shusha by Azerbaijanis (Azerbaijani: Şuşanın işğalı) was the first significant military victory by Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. The battle took place in the strategically important mountain town of Shusha (known as Shushi to Armenians) on the evening of May 8, 1992, and fighting swiftly concluded the next day after Armenian forces captured it and drove out the defending Azeris. Armenian military commanders based in Nagorno-Karabakh's capital of Stepanakert had been contemplating the capture of the town after a hail of Azeri military bombardment had begun shelling Stepanakert.