Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded the ‘Order of Courage’ to Vugar Huseynov, an Azerbaijani who was killed in the March 2024 terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow.
Huseynov was given the commendation ‘for courage and selflessness shown in the performance of civic duty’, the decree noted.
During the attack, Huseynov reportedly shielded a nearby woman as the militants stormed the theatre and opened fire, saving her life. Witnesses also said that Huseynov had acted quickly and tried to build barricades to protect other concert-goers.
Both Huseynov and his wife, ethnic Armenian Lilit Israelian, were among the 145 people killed in the attack.
At the time, photos of Huseynov and Israelian together were widely circulated on social media, with many noting the rarity of relationships between an Armenian and an Azerbaijani, as well as expressing sorrow over their tragic death.
Both Huseynov and Israelian were Russian citizens and reportedly met while working together at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. They have a son who was 1.5 years old when they were both killed, and who has since been adopted by family members, Russian media reported.
The award comes at a low point in Azerbaijan’s relations with Russia, fueled by the deadly crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight in December 2024, which Baku has blamed on Russian air defence, as well as the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis during a Russian police raid in Yekaterinburg in June 2025.
As a result, some viewed the announcement of the award, more than a year after the attack, with a degree of cynicism, claiming it could be politically motivated.
Shortly after the attack, two teenagers working at Crocus City Hall were given awards for bravery for helping concert-goers escape. It is unclear how many others have been awarded, posthumously or otherwise, for their conduct during the incident.
Elizaveta Chukharova
This article was translated into Armenian and republished by our partner CivilNet.
