RELATED WITH FATE

On the night of April 2 the guys of one of the north-eastern point were among the first who resisted the attack of the enemy, they were fighting under the command of Captain Armenak Urfanyan. The captain ordered his men to retreat, and he remained at the position. Only one, 19-year-old soldier Kyaram Sloyan did not obey the order.

I went to Kyaram’s native village – Artashavan. Neighbors who are either partipicants of the Artsakh war, or have soldiers fighting on the border, interrupting each other talked about the good and modest family of Sloyans.

On April 2, when the terrible news had not yet reached the village, at Kyaram’s father had a bad feeling as if his heart was torn with a knife.

The family’s only consolation is that their son is a hero. Soon his younger brother Hracho will be recruited into the army, and his older brother Hamo says: “Of course, he must serve. During the Artsakh war, my father received the news of the death of his father, but he did not leave the battlefield, did not come to the funeral. The Turks are on their own thinking, they believe that we will just give away our lands. I know my brother, he would never have left his commander.”

…In the first days of the unleashed military actions of Azerbaijani side, 15 men of Artashavan left for Artsakh. Member of the Artsakh war Kyalash Sloyan, Kyaram’s father, made a vow to go to Martakert, to protect our homeland next to the soldiers of the national army and volunteers.

And now I am in the house of the commander of the hero Sloyan – Captain Armenak Urfanyan, three-time world champion in taekwondo. Twice he was voted “the best company commander,” received departmental medals and certificates.

– One day my son told me that he has a very good soldier, Yezid by nationality, – says Armenak’s mother Hamest. – At the end they fought together, he did not want to leave his commander alone. My son treated his soldiers as his younger brothers. All Martakert loved him. And he fell for Martakert. We have for many years lived in St. Petersburg. Every time when we passed the Suvorov Military School, he used to say – I’ll study here. The family moved to Yerevan and he entered the Military Institute after Vazgen Sargsyan, on motorized faculty.

When I was leaving, Armenak’s mother wanted to see Kyaram’s mother. They talked on the phone and tried to comfort each other, thank each other, that they brought up such faithful and proud sons.

Knar Tadevosyan

Major