'After the April war, there was pain, but also pride,' says fallen soldier's mother

Gayane Antonyan, the mother of April war hero Adam Sahakyan, visited his son's grave at the Yerablur Military Pantheon on the 9th war anniversary on Wednesday.

"Our soldiers fought heroically, defending the homeland – just as they did in 2020. But now, we face a different reality," the woman told reporters.

"After the April war, there was pain, but also pride. Now, we long for true solace. I want that pride to return to know that our soldiers' sacrifices were not in vain. I believe that day will come," she said.

On 1-2 April 2016, Sergeant Adam Sahakyan led the defense of the combat post 112, fighting for five hours and inflicting heavy losses on Azerbaijani forces. He and his fellow servicemen fought until the last bullet, halting the Azerbaijani advance.

Adam fell heroically in the morning and was posthumously awarded the Artsakh Medal for Combat Service and Armenia’s Medal for Bravery.