The Azerbaijan State News Agency

Israeli mother's appeal to release her son from captivity remains unanswered

Baku, May 13, AZERTAC

Israel-based "Challenges of time" information portal has published an article headlined "Israeli mother's appeal to release her son from captivity remains unanswered " by Mila Abramovich and Arye Gut (http://isp-ngo.com/?p=2449). The article highlights the story of soldier Vugar Mikayilov (Mikhailov), an Azerbaijani Jew, who was taken hostage by Armenians 23 years ago.

The article says: "The world has seen many wars and tragedies and the worst ones left an indelible scar in the hearts of people. Recently we have met the family of Vugar Mikayilov (Mikhailov), an Azerbaijani soldier of Jewish origin, who is still in Armenian captivity. We met his family at the Azerbaijani Mountain Jews Coordinating Center in the city of Acre. Head of the Azerbaijani Mountain Jews Community Shirin Nehemiah Michaeli was also present at the meeting."

"Vugar's mother Nina Mikayilova, who now lives in the Israeli city of Kiryat Bialik, said that Vugar was drafted into the Azerbaijani army in the 1990s, and he served with honor and dignity."

The article says: "Vugar was born on January 4, 1974 in the Azerbaijani town of Goychay. He was a very organized, disciplined and responsible boy. "Like another Azerbaijani hero of Jewish origin Albert Agarunov, Vugar did not dodge military service, he wanted to stay with his fellows, though his brother asked him to go and work in Kazakhstan. Vugar was mobilized into the police battalion 54/56 in July of 1992, he served in Sheketli village in Fuzuli region and came home just once. When I saw my boy for the last time, I hugged him so tightly… My heart felt that we will be far apart," said Nina Mikayilova, and burst into tears.

Vugar Mikayilov's (Mikhailov's) mother remembers that his friend Ramiz from Agdash region said that Vugar went missing on January 28, 1993, during the fighting against Armenian invaders in Uruyandag village in Fuzuli region, when he tried to save his friend, who was wounded in his leg."

"Vugar's classmate Azer from Goychay who was also taken hostage by Armenians, said that he saw Vugar near the villages of Stepanakert, where Armenians used the Azerbaijani soldiers and civilians as labors. Azer said he saw Vugar alive. As for Azer, he miraculously managed to escape from Armenian captivity," the article quotes Vugar`s mother as saying.

Vugar's brother Ilgar Mikayilov (Mikhailov) says: "I want to find my brother. Our family misses Vugar so much. We know that prisoners from Azerbaijan, who have been taken captives by Armenians, are being tortured, it's terrible. The killing and inhuman treatment of thousands of innocent Azerbaijanis taken hostage by Armenians, is one of the most terrible and bloody pages of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan."

"Vugar's mother said that his father Ibrahim Mikayilov (Mikhailov) could not bear separation from his son and stories of Azerbaijani civilians who were taken captive by Armenians. "In 2006 he died from a heart attack. He knew that our son was also tortured by Armenians," she said."

"My husband Ibrahim always lived with a hope to find his son. I remember during the Easter, ex-president of Armenia Robert Kocharian paid a visit to Israel. My husband met with him but it did not work out. It was the last hope for my husband. Kocharian promised to help. We knew that Kocharian was one of the ideologists and organizers of the bloody massacre of Azerbaijani civilians in Khojaly. But my husband thought he would take pity on desperate parents… Kocharian went back from his word and showed the true treacherous essence of the current leadership of the Armenia," Nina Mikayilova said."

"She added that their family even appealed to authoritative rabbis- kabbalists in Israel, and they said that Vugar Mikayilov is alive, he is in the hands of the enemy, and after a new large-scale war Vugar along with other Azerbaijani prisoners will return home."

"Help me and my family to bring my son back home, I have not seen him for 23 years... I know that the Armenian captivity is similar to fascist… We live in Israel, but our homeland is Azerbaijan, and we never forget it. Azerbaijan has always been in our hearts…," the article quotes Nina as saying.

"Head of the Azerbaijani Mountain Jews Community of Acre, Shirin Nehemiah Michaeli said that Nagorno-Karabakh is a heart and soul of Azerbaijan and the cradle of the Azerbaijani culture." "We, Mountain Jews, natives of Azerbaijan, are proud of our brother Albert Agarunov, one of the first national heroes of independent Azerbaijan and a symbol of the courage of the Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples in the war against the Armenian Dashnak invaders. There were many other Jews who were fighting for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan along with Albert, but there were also those who went missing. One of them is my cousin Vugar Mikayilov. His family lives in different cities of Israel. His mother, his older brother and sister are looking forward to see him alive after 23 years in Armenian captivity," the article quotes Shirin Nehemiah Michaeli as saying.

"A question arises: Why did not Armenians release Vugar after learning that he was Jew? I think Armenians had information about all the prisoners, and of course, Vugar said that he was a Jew, not Azerbaijani. There may be two reasons:

The first is that the attitude toward Jews in Armenia has always been negative since anti-Semitism dominated in this country, and that is one of the important reasons why the Jews left Armenia. Let's not forget that the cult of personality of such fascists as General Dro and general Nzhdeh, who massacred 30,000 Jews in the Crimea during the World War II, still exists in Armenia.

Secondly, it is interesting why Head of the Jewish community of Armenia Rimma Varzhapetyan did not help a Jewish family. She could perfectly understand distress of a Jewish mother, but she remains silent, fulfilling orders of the terrorist regime of Sargsyan."

The third reason is that Vugar Mikayilov (Mikhailov) is a witness and a victim of the fascist atrocities conducted by Armenians against Azerbaijanis in camps. That is the reason why they are afraid to release him as a living witness. We are waiting for a response from Armenia," the article says.

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

German Foreign Office: Peace and stability in South Caucasus are in our common interest

August 9 marks International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples

Makkah Joint Defence Agreement to enhance Pakistan’s strategic and diplomatic role, Gulf Observer Editor-in-Chief says

To His Excellency Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore

FIFA defends Infantino’s mandate amid growing divisions about his leadership

River Plate signs Thiago Almada from Atletico Madrid

Marco Rubio: United States remains fully committed to working with Armenia and Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev sends a letter to U.S. President on the anniversary of the Washington Summit

To the President of the United States of America His Excellency Mr. Donald J. Trump

Steve Witkoff: The future of South Caucasus countries is bright

Top stories update

Release from the Press Service of the President

Historic Washington Summit: A chronological timeline

Spain to establish border controls on travellers from Italy amid migration dispute

Russia, Pakistan work to launch first rail cargo route — ambassador

Azerbaijan military attachés and representatives convene for annual meeting

Washington Agreements: Peace and strategic partnership change the rules of the game – ANALYSIS

What has the historic Washington meeting changed?

American expert: Azerbaijan is really becoming to play a much larger role across the broader region

Another shipment from Russia dispatched to Armenia via Azerbaijan

President Saratoga Foundation: The trajectory of relations between the U.S. and Azerbaijan over the past year has been remarkable

Release of the Press Service of the President

Space Academy of Azercosmos receives IAF Excellence in “3G+” Diversity Award 2026

Thawing Siberia could undercut 20 percent of methane targets by 2050, study warns

Washington Summit that established historical justice and peace in the South Caucasus

Türkiye says Greece's tourism framework carries no legal consequences for Ankara

Japan orders evacuations as Typhoon Dolphin approaches, cancels 500 flights

Iranian Minister of Sports and Youth visits Baku Aquatic Palace

Turkish president says Mecca Joint Defense Agreement targets no country, open to other friendly nations

“Khojaly Encyclopedia” presented - shedding light on history

Top stories update

Spanish police dismantle major Mediterranean migrant and drugs smuggling network

FAO Food Price Index edges higher in July on stronger crop prices

Bulgaria records EU’s largest increase in government R&D budget allocations per capita since 2015

® Birbank Biznes offers up to 5% discount on micro business loans

® Fitch has once again upgraded ABB Bank’s ratings!

Artificial Intelligence used to design brand new viruses

Low Danube water levels in Bulgaria expose Roman-era bridge

Azerbaijan, Iran approve Action Plan in youth and sports

Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis, Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference explore cooperation

Admission plan for BEU-INHA DDP filled 100 percent

Beijing deploys 72 robot ‘employees’ across city parks amid high temperatures

® PASHA Holding successfully continues "Fərqindəlik" ("Awareness") project launched in 2025

China adds nearly 20 tons of gold to reserves in July

Azerbaijan Army servicemen participate in Proficiency Level Assessment Examinations

Europe's gas storage falls to lowest August level since 2011

Man Utd confirm Altay Bayindir exit as Celta Vigo loan deal includes permanent transfer clause

Azerbaijan sets up Organizing Committee for International Investment Forum to take place in Baku – ORDER

® Azercell launches an annual subscription for ZengimCELL service

Baku to host international badminton tournament

Meta fined $567m in largest child safety ruling against social media giant

Azerbaijani Economy minister highlights SOCAR Carbamide as important example of successful digital transformation

Azerbaijan’s State Oil Fund invests alongside I Squared Capital in Inkia, Peru's largest independent power producer

John van 't Schip to take helm of Kazakhstan’s national football team

European wildfires cause up to $22B in total damage

Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan to sign trilateral defense agreement

Bad news for rice lovers: Climate change is cutting rice harvests

Top stories update

Azeri Light sells for $93.37

At least 7 dead in Thai school shooting

Oil prices rise on global markets

Protesters march in Buenos Aires against Argentina's private property bill

Azerbaijani FM meets with Ukrainian President

Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid agree new six-year deal

Jeyhun Bayramov informed Ukrainian President on post-conflict realities in the South Caucasus

Top stories update

Munich car-ramming attacker sentenced to life in prison

UK clears Paramount’s stalled $110B Warner Bros. Discovery takeover

Real Madrid sign Diomande from RB Leipzig

Number of Azerbaijani nationals working for bp disclosed

Azerbaijan, US explore global economy trends

Lebanon, Israel begin final day of 7th round of negotiations in Rome

Azerbaijan, FIDE explore enhancing cooperation

Trabzonspor sign Salah on blockbuster 2-year deal

Butterflies are rapidly changing where they live as climate changes

bp spent about $0.9 million on various social and sponsorship projects in Azerbaijan in first half of 2026

BEU graduate awarded prestigious Chevening scholarship

Processing of data acquired during survey for Garabagh field currently underway

24 wells drilled for Shahdeniz 2 project to date, bp says

Trump tells donors, ‘We need to elect JD,’ in 2028 presidential election: Report

Shah Deniz field produces around 14 billion standard cubic meters of gas and 2 million tons of condensate in first half of 2026

AFFA official appointed UEFA delegate for Europa League qualifier

During first half, SCP`s daily average export throughput was 63.7 million cubic metres of gas per day

Turkish media representatives visit Aghdam Industrial Park

® Order your Birbank Star card today and enjoy commission-free cash withdrawals                    

bp: Further evaluation of the Shafag-Asiman block is required

BTC pipeline transported more than in 4.7 billion barrels of oil to world markets since its commissioning

Azerbaijan's digital governance model receives two international awards in UK

Sangachal terminal exported around 97 million barrels of oil and condensate in six months

Construction activities for Shafag project expected to continue through mid-2027.

Three Tottenham exits close as Atletico Madrid into pole position to sign Romero after hijack

Azerbaijan received 2 billion cubic meters of associated gas from ACG in first half of year

Most-detailed-ever image of sun reveals roiling waves for first time

ACG completed drilling of seven oil producer and two gas injector wells in first six months

Installation of Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable on seabed of Caspian Sea completed

FM Bayramov: We also would be happy to provide gas also to friendly Ukraine, in case of necessity

Hormuz disruption pushes LNG shipping costs to highest levels since 2022: Report

First 2026 issue of English-language IRS-Heritage magazine published

Microbiome-based therapy may increase peanut allergy tolerance in adults

Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli produced 59 million barrels during first half of 2026