Contract soldier Baris Karakhanyan is one of those killed in the war that started after midnight on September 13. He defended Jermuk.
The mother and other family members learned about the war from the media and tried to talk to Baris by phone from 6 in the morning. “He was unavailable. He called between 7:30 and 08:00. He said that the same thing started as here (in Artsakh), he did not like to speak plainly, he said that there were many victims. He said, “I’m fine, my place is fine, I’ll call once a day,” recalled his mother, Armine Husunts.
On September 14, mother and son had another telephone conversation: as it turned out later, it was their last conversation. “He was heartbroken, he said, ‘You take good care of my sisters.’ I felt something that day. I was in Artsakh, I said, I am going to Yerevan. I was calling all the way, and once only one of the friends answered the number, I asked Baris to call once, to listen to his voice. I asked if something had happened, they said no, but 10 minutes after talking to me, the boy was injured and died. He was the youngest and the most loved one, they wouldn’t tell the family… how could they tell his mother that her son was no more?” said the mother.
After this phone call, the mother searched everywhere for her son. Armine Husunts’ sister’s son told Armine Husunts the sad news with great difficulty, and it was also confirmed by the military committee of Hrazdan on the same day.
“On a late hour, my sister’s son called and asked, do you have trouble with Baris? I said no, you too are a soldier: find someone, let him give any news. He said, there is nothing to do, our Baris is not no more anymore… How could it be? He told me that nothing would happen to him, he said, ‘Why would something happen to me, dear mom, be calm.” Ms. Armine says that she had felt that something had happened to her son, but she didn’t want to believe. Baris’s silence worried his mother even more, because, according to his character, knowing that his mother was coming a long way, he should definitely call and ask if she has arrived home, which he did not do this time.
Baris was 23 years old. During his military service, he participated in the 44-day war, took part in battles in Omar, and 15 days after the end of his service, he decided to go to contract service. Omar’s military unit was moved to Syunik. Baris decided to move to Armenia with his family to continue his service with his fellow soldiers.
The mother saw her son for the last time when she personally went to take part in the identification process. “I wanted to go and see my son at least once. At that moment, I only wanted to see my child. The front part of his head was missing, there was an injury in the heart area, the part of the left leg was missing, and he was smiling with one eye opened…”
Armine Husunts now has one wish: to find the lost phone of his dead son, where all the memories of Baris are.
“If someone, be it the ambulance or the morgue, took his phone, I don’t want anything more than to have that phone: all the memories of my child are in that phone… his photos, his vieos… If needed, I will give you the same kind of phone, but let them hand over that phone to me; this is a mother’s request.”
Բարիսն ընտանիքին զինվորական կյանքից տեղեկություններ չի պատմել։ Մայրը չգիտեի՝ արդյո՞ք զենքով ապահոված եղել են, թե՝ ոչ։ Արմինե Հուսունցը ստեղծված իրավիճակի մեղավոր Նիկոլ Փաշինյանին է համարում։
Baris did not tell his family about his military life. The mother did not know whether they were armed or not. Armine Husunts considers Nikol Pashinyan to be the culprit of the situation.
“I consider the country’s prime minister to be the culprit. They used to say that, previously, the mothers bought socks for the soldiers. Now, what are you doing? Feed strawberries and grind them with a meat grinder. This is what you have done. My child’s blood is on you, you have done all of this,” she said.
Narek Kirakosyan