Suren Babayan, liaison Blondie, had left to defend Artsakh on the very next day of the war, on September 28, but had not had time to say goodbye to his family. The other son of the family, Andranik, also went to war on the same day.
“I have health problems; I went to the hospital that day. When I came back, Suren called, asked ‘Mom, where are you?’ and I answered that I had already reached Hoktemberyan. He said, ‘I’m going to war, I want to say goodbye to you…’ tells the mother of the boys, Galina Babayan.
Andranik returned home safely after the ceasefire, but 31-year-old Suren was killed in November in Shushi. The mother says that her son called at 5 in the morning every day. Mrs. Galina says that Blondie last called on November 5, at 05:00, before leaving for Shushi.
“He said, ‘Mom, I called you to say goodbye to you, I am going to Shushi’… It was the last call from my son, my liaison Blondie. On November 6, 7, 8, at the time when he used to call– at 5 in the morning– I was waiting for his call, but there was none… This hour has become an important time in my life: at that hour, I always get up and wait for Blondie’s call. I didn’t need a hero, let my Blondie be by my side,” says the mother.
Ms. Galina says she heard the news of her son’s death on her birthday, November 8, 2020, but did not believe it. “A boy named Khachik told me that Blondie was no more, that he had died,” said the mother, adding that her son’s body was found and buried on November 20.
Suren Babayan was married. He has a son; the boy is 9 years old. Blondie is from the village of Nor Kesaria, Armavir region. Eight heroes from this community were killed during the war.
Galina Babayan says that every day she goes from New Kesaria to Yerablur [military cemetery] in Yerevan, to her son’s grave. She used to go three times a week and after May 13, but, when her son’s grave was set on fire, she goes there every day now. “They deepened my grief by burning the grave; the enemy would not do such a thing,” says Mrs. Galina, adding that early in the morning, when she woke up at five o’clock as usual, she saw that she had received a “Facebook” message mentioning about Blondie’s tomb being burned.
Mrs. Galina says that the artificial flowers were burnt, the tombstone and the RA flag were damaged. She has no idea who could commit such blasphemy. Galina Babyan, however, draws attention to the fact that this incident took place after the incident between her and Robert Kocharyan [former President of Armenia] on May 9 in Yerablur.
“When I heard that all the officials should come to Yerablur on May 9, I decided to go. I was begging to see someone and ask why our children were taken from Aghdam to Shushi and in a few hours the sniper hit them, many boys were killed. I met Robert Kocharyan, asked him where he was going, he said he was going to lay a flower on his friend’s grave. I said, if you came only for your friend, then do not enter Yerablur. He laughed, his hand in his pocket, ignored me and left. I went after him and said that I had a question for him… I asked why you transferred the boys from Aghdam to Shushi and everyone was killed at dawn … He could have talked to me humanely, but he did not,” Galina Babayan said.
She hopes that the person who burned his son’s grave will regret and at least apologize to her in a message. She notes that, so far, she has only received insults and threats on social networks.
Galina Babayan has health problems, she said she was diagnosed with neurosis, she has a third category disability. “I have to take medicine to live, but why do I need to live when my Blondie is gone?”
Narek Kirakosyan