19-year-old Roman Telyan, who went into temporary and then contract service, wanted to give a gold chain to his sister on her birthday. The sister received that chain after her brother’s death, with the inscription “I will always be by your side”.
Telyan grew up in the Russian Federation, he, his mother and sister were Russian citizens, but the young man had clearly stated that he would return and live in his native village of Aparadzor, Martakert region of NK, and so he did. Roman graduated from the village school, then he joined the army.
“During the service, he signed a contract so that he could be at home for half of the month and in the service for the other half. My heart was breaking into pieces, but I understood that it was what he wanted. I used to go and visit him frequently, especially when the siege of Artsakh started. He was in constant contact with his uncle, he told him everything,” recalls Roman’s mother, Maria Markosyan.
According to her, during the military operations of September 19, her son was surrounded and managed to escape, after which, however, he refused to return home. “It was a terrible situation in Stepanakert. We were already there. I was the last to leave the village. I said: I will not leave until my child comes… I prepared food so that when he comes, he will eat and not be hungry… I did not think about leaving the village, but my brother already knew how dangerous it is to stay, he deceived me, saying that my son is already coming, and I left the village with them.”
According to Maria, her nephew, Arsen Markosyan, was also in the service at the same time. After returning from their positions, Roman and Arsen discovered that their native Aparadzor was already under the control of the enemy and their families had left, then they were found in Stepanakert.
From the next day on, 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 set off together to that place.
“Someone said that there was an explosion… We ran to the hospital in the dark, in the rain… It was a terrible situation… We didn’t understand anything, we only saw burnt people. We were looking in the intensive care unit when I suddenly heard ‘mama-mama’. I didn’t understand where the voice was coming from… ‘mama-mama’. And then I saw Roman’s cross. It was my Roman; I didn’t recognize him… I stayed by his side all night. He asked for water, I gave it to him. I asked whoever was there, what can be done and what can’t be done, everyone said: we are volunteers, we don’t know anything. There was no doctor, it was not clear who was doing what: it was a terrible situation,” says Maria Markosyan.
The mother took care of her son with her own hands: cut off his burnt clothes and wrapped him in linen. They found Arsen in another ward. Unfortunately, he received 90% burns and died the next day, on the morning of September 26.
Roman and Artyom were taken to Yerevan by helicopter on the same day. Mother visited Roman several times. Not knowing about his brother’s death, he constantly asked about Arsen. His mother said that he was fine.
Roman himself died on the morning of October 3. The mother still can’t forgive herself for listening to the doctors and leaving her son shortly after her last visit.
“They didn’t let me stay with my child even for a minute. Roman told me, ‘Mom, take me to another hospital.’ I said, ‘Roma, they say this is the best place, they have medicines, everything here. It’s specialized hospital. He said, ‘Mom, move me; they don’t take good care of me here.’ He had the impression that he was not being well looked after… then he said, Mom, when you come, bring me some Sneakers… The doctors knew that he was in a serious condition, they could have left me stay with him, he perhaps could have told me something more… I didn’t manage to take Sneakers… I always take it to the grave, leave it there…”
Maria now lives with her daughter in Ashtarak, Armenia, with her brother’s family. She says that her only solace is visiting her son’s grave in Yerablur cemetary. She is very worried about her daughter, who is still in school: “My daughter is always sad, everyone notices it… when I was in the hospital after the explosion, I was taking care of Roman, I didn’t tell my and my brother’s daughters what was going on, what the situation was, so that not to alarm them. Then I found out that the girls took care of the wounded in the hospital all night as volunteers…”
Ani Gevorgyan