“Mom, we have guests, I will call you back.” The mother didn’t realize the guest was the enemy; she would call if she stayed alive.

Vaghinak Abgaryan had been out of touch for a month. His friends and relatives knew he had died; only his mother was unaware. It became impossible to hide the truth any longer. Even months later, it’s hard for her to speak about it without tears, writes Sputnik Armenia.

The report mentions that flags are flying over three graves in the cemetery of the village of Parpi in the Aragatsotn region. These are the tombs of those who fell in the last conflict in Artsakh. In reality, not all heroes are buried here. Vaghinak Abgaryan is interred at the Yerablur Military Pantheon. His mother and wife decided that the hero should be surrounded by his battle companions and given a military burial.

“Mom, we have guests, I will call you back...” These were the last words from Vaghinak Abgaryan during a phone call with his mother, Hasmik. It was October 22. At that moment, the woman didn’t realize the guest was the enemy, and her son would call if he survived. However, Vaghinak's wife, Anush, immediately understood. She prayed that her husband would call back. However, he did not. It was only a month later that the relatives received the news that Vaghinak had bravely fought and died in the battles for Taghavar.

“I had been kept in the dark that my son had gone to fight. I thought he was just doing exercises. But on the day he died, something strange happened. I was in a shop and felt an excruciating pain, as if a knife had pierced my heart. I crumpled in agony and began to weep. I could not explain what was happening,” the mother recounted.

Hasmik had her only son late in life at age 39. He was named in honor of his uncle, who had died in a car accident. His father passed away when Vaghinak was only four years old. Raising him alone was not easy. The boy grew up with deep patriotism and, despite all the opportunities to avoid military service, chose not to take that path. When the war broke out, he volunteered, but his mother’s health deteriorated sharply, and he postponed his departure. Several days later, he received a notification, and despite his wife's pleas to stay, he went to war.

“He said he was going to protect us so that my daughters and I could walk proudly with our heroic father. And that’s what happened. Until the last moment, I hoped he was alive. I dreamt he would return, even if disabled. I was ready to take care of him for the rest of my life, but he never came back. Even now, it’s hard for me to speak about him in the past tense. Vaghinak is alive for me,” Anush recounted, restraining her tears.

Hasmik cannot hold back her tears, starting to wail. She explains that her son, along with his comrades, decided to block the enemy's path while others evacuated the injured from the battlefield. Mrs. Hasmik says the soldiers cannot look her in the eye; after all, Vaghinak saved them, but they couldn’t save him. Friends recount that before the last battle, Vaghinak said that his mother would not survive his death and asked them to do everything possible to ensure everyone remained alive.

The family submitted the documents for financial compensation back in December, but they have yet to receive any response. Hasmik is confident that the state will not leave them alone in their misfortune, but she admits that no amount of money will fill the emptiness and pain in her heart.

The full publication is available on the original site.