19-Year-Old Was Just 5 Months Away From Demobilization: Brother Shares How They Were Separated in Service

As a result of the aggression by Azerbaijan against Armenia on September 13, conscript soldier 19-year-old Shahen Sirayekanyan was killed. The deceased soldier was from the city of Abovyan.

Until the onset of the enemy's aggression, Shahen's brother, Karen Sirayekanyan, was also serving in the Kapan military unit. As the attack began, the brothers were sent to different positions.

In an interview with News.am, Shahen's brother recounted that Shahen was killed on the night of September 13 in one of the positions at Nerkhin Hand. “He had just 5 months left until he was discharged. I last spoke to him in the unit; they were going to a combat area. He didn't like to talk about targets. We always remember him with kindness; he was very kind,” his brother shared.

It is noteworthy that starting from 00:05 on September 13, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces began intensive shelling towards Armenian positions using artillery, large-caliber firearms, and drones along the entire border. The adversary targeted both military and civilian objects.

According to the Ministry of Defense, from 20:00 on September 14, the shelling has almost ceased in all directions and no significant incidents were recorded.

As of the latest reports, the number of dead and missing has reached 207. On September 17, the Azerbaijani side transferred the bodies of 32 servicemen to Armenia, on September 20 – 95, and on September 23 – 6 more bodies. A total of 20 servicemen were captured. On October 4, with the mediation of the United States, the Azerbaijani side returned 17 Armenian prisoners of war to Armenia.