The 1988 violence in Shusha and Stepanakert was the expulsion of the ethnic Armenian population of Shusha and the ethnic Azerbaijani population of Stepanakert, in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast in the Azerbaijani SSR, Soviet Union, from September 18 to 20, 1988.

Throughout modern history the city of Shusha, known to Armenians as Shushi, mainly fostered a mixed Armenian–Azerbaijani population.

[6] Stepanakert, located in the Karabakh Plateau, was the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), with an Armenian majority, and an Azerbaijani minority.

[2] According to Thomas de Waal, "the violence heralded disaster for the minority communities of Karabakh's two main towns, as all the Armenians were driven from Shusha and the Azerbaijanis were expelled from Stepanakert".

On September 21, the Soviet troops stationed in the city imposed a curfew to preserve the situation.