70-year-old Gulvard Markosyan, who was forcibly displaced from Artsakh, lost two grandchildren as a result of an explosion at a gas station near Stepanakert in the fall of last year. Another grandson miraculously survived after receiving severe burns.
The elderly woman has five children and 11 grandchildren. With tears, she talks about the victimized grandchildren: “I am going crazy, I am losing my mind y… I’ve never harmed a single person in my entire life, so that my children are well, no one… if someone needed help, I’ve reached everyone… I didn’t harm anyone in my life…but this is what happened.”
Grandmother Gulvard’s grandsons Roman and Arsen were drafted into the army at the same time. They were serving when the last Artsakh war started. Although the boys were in different positions, they both found themselves in a siege, after which, as soon as they were freed, they went to find their families, because the families had already been displaced from their village, the village of Arajnadzor, Martakert region, NK.
Artyom, the eldest of the grandchildren, was a participant in the 44-Day War. “During the 2020 war, when Artyom was at the position, it was very difficult, we were all worried about him, we did not leave the village… it was very hard.”
According to grandmother Gulvard, her sons participated in the first Artsakh wars as well: “My sons went to the first wars, my grandsons went to the last ones… they all came back, but then this explosion occurred… who would have known?”
As we told earlier, after returning from the positions, Roman and Arsen discovered that their native Arajnadzor was already under the control of the enemy and their relatives had left, then they were found in Stepanakert. From the next day, the boys went to the task of procuring fuel. At some point they heard that there is fuel in the warehouse of the Askeran-Stepanakert highway. Roman, Arsen and his brother Artyom went together to the place where the loud explosion thundered.
The boys were immediately taken to the hospital. Arsen died still in Stepanakert, because he received the most severe burns. Roman managed to be transported by helicopter to the Burn Hospital in Yerevan, but he also died a few days later.
The brothers were buried in Yerablur, side by side.
Gulvard Markosyan says that although his eldest grandson, Artyom, is already doing much better, he should continue his treatment and undergo new operations, but he does not want to do it. After losing his brothers, he still hasn’t fully recovered psychologically and doesn’t want to take care of himself.
Ani Gevorgyan