“The next day I was already at the front line. We were sent to the front without body armor and helmets.” - Karen Vardanyan

The Secretary General of the Karate National Federation, Karen Vardanyan, wrote on his Facebook page: “The war started on September 27, and I reported to the military commissariat on the same day. The next day, I was already at the front line and did not leave my position for the duration of the war, except for the fact that we were initially sent to the front without body armor and helmets, as if literally sent to be slaughtered.

On November 10, the war ended, and on the 11th, I returned home at my own expense; they didn’t even provide transport. I returned and reported to the military commissariat, and they said they would call me in a week to make the necessary entries in my officer's record that I am a participant in the war and that I would later be able to avail of the benefits I am entitled to.

Seven months have passed, and they haven’t even called me. One could say they have simply forgotten about many like me. Why? Because we are still alive? Should we have died for our worth to be recognized? Moreover, what am I talking about? Even the fallen are not honored; we all saw how the bodies of the boys were kept hidden in bags for seven months. This is the modus operandi of this government; this is their character; I do not need any other arguments. What I have seen with my own eyes and my experiences are enough.

A person must hate their own country and nation to give voice to this on the 20th,” he concluded.