19-Year-Old Ruslan and His Friend Took Fire Upon Themselves to Cover Others' Retreat

On September 20, among the remains of 95 soldiers transferred from Azerbaijan to Armenia, was Ruslan Tovmasyan, a conscripted soldier. The 19-year-old was from the village of Shenavan in the Armavir region. In an interview with News.am, Ruslan's cousin Arsen Hakobyan shared that after graduating from high school, Ruslan enrolled in the mathematics department of Yerevan State University and was conscripted into the army just a few days later in July 2021. Ruslan was killed on the morning of September 13.

"Ruslan called to congratulate his uncle on his birthday half an hour before the attack from Azerbaijan. He said everything was fine. This was his last conversation with his relatives. Ruslan fought against the enemy, and after they were given the order to retreat, he first evacuated the injured, then returned to the position with one of the soldiers to take fire upon themselves to allow the others to retreat, and they succeeded. Afterwards, they moved to a relatively safer area and some time later returned to a neighboring position with two other soldiers to continue fighting against the enemy. The battalion commander had communicated that they needed ammunition; I don't know whether they were able to secure it or not, but they were unable to approach. They fired until the last bullet, and the battalion commander was also killed. If they had a proper shelter and sufficient amount of ammunition, the enemy wouldn't have been able to reach them," Arsen Hakobyan recounted, adding that Ruslan was killed in the area of the Black Lake from a gunshot wound.

Ruslan was the eldest child in the family and had a younger sister. "He consciously took that step, choosing to sacrifice his life for the homeland. He was very brave, mature, and responsible. Despite our significant age difference, I could share anything with him. He had a large circle of friends and stood behind everyone. The word 'knight' describes him well. Whenever there was an event at school, he would come take my uniform with great pride and wear it, as if that uniform gave him great strength. He was also an excellent shooter and engaged in amateur boxing," Arsen fondly remembered Ruslan.