‘Mom, you know it well, I don't give up easily’ – fallen hero Tigran Abgaryan would turn 21 today

October 14 marks the birthday anniversary of Armenian soldier, tanker Tigran Abgaryan heroically fallen during the four-day April war in 2016. He would turn 21 today.

The hero’s mother, Mrs. Gohar Abgaryan describes him as a lively and joyous person. According to her, Tigran wanted to be a winner since childhood. During his military service, he stood out with his bravery and combat readiness, claiming the second place at the tank biathlon competition of the Karabakh Armed Forces.

Mrs. Gohar cherishes each episode involving her son, recalling the numerous times when Tigran embraced her tightly. “On 12 December, he surprised us coming come to stay for four days. At the time as well he hugged me firmly and cried, perhaps he felt it was the last time…,” the mother recalls.

In her words, she looks at his son’s photo every day and talks to him. “Mom, I will handle everything, you know it well, I don't give up easily. Those words make me hopeful that he will return.”

Everyone remembers today the living heroes of the tank No. 321. During the four-day April war in 2016, the tank crew featuring Benyamin Yeghoyan, Tigran Abgaryan and Vladimir Alikhanyan heroically repelled the attacks of the Azerbaijani forces for two days in Jebrail (Jrakan) in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). During a tank attack aimed at retaking a military post captured by the enemy, the tankers crossed the fire bumper under heavy fire in multiple directions, moved toeards the attacking enemy, destroying one tank and significant manpower. The soldiers fell when their tank was hit by the adversary.

Earlier, Albert Hovhannisyan, a participant of the April war, told Panorama.am about the heroic act of the three soldiers, recalling every detail. According to him, Benyamin Yeghoyan’s (known as Monte) spirit griped all the other soldiers.

“Monte constantly wanted to go ahead. On receiving the order, he took prompt actions. After destroying an Azerbaijani tank and a military vehicle, they came back from the frontline. He was so excited. The next day Monte again went back to the same [military] post. At first, he intended to fire, but then changed his mind. The adversary had installed its flag in that position. The tankers drove forward, levelled the flag to the ground and came back. When asked why he did not fire, he replied that there was a cross-tone near that position and he feared to damage it,” he recalled.

He remembers that the next morning Monte, together with his fellow soldiers, moved forward again. “My friends did not come back. I felt an unspeakable pain after learning that their tank was destroyed. War is a cruel thing,” Albert said.

To note, seven of the Armenian soldiers heroically fallen during the April war were from Armenia’s Gyumri city – Vladimir Melkonyan, Meruzhan Stepanyan, Aleksan Arakelyan, Victor Yuzikhovich, Hrach Galstyan, Gevorg Vardanyan and Tigran Abgaryan.

To remind, the Azerbaijani armed forces unleashed a large-scale offensive along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact at the night of April 1 to April 2. The defense installations of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army and civilian settlements came under heavy bombardment by artillery, tanks, armored vehicles, multiple rocket launchers, and air force along the Line of Contact and deep inside the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.Azerbaijani Armed Forces, in the course of their recent large-scale military offensive, intentionally targeted civilian infrastructures and civilian population, including children and the elderly. The Azerbaijani military beheaded three Armenian servicemen in ISIL style.Those barbaric acts go beyond elementary norms of civilized world, constituting violations of core international conventions.