Photos: "Every day of the blockade adds new deprivation" - Stepanakert Then and Now

Singer Anita Hakobyan wrote on her Facebook page:

“Remember. When you take a sip of coffee, when you turn on the light in your room, when you peel potatoes, when you sprinkle salt on your dinner, when you tear toilet paper, when you open a tube of toothpaste, when you fasten your child's diaper, when you light a cigarette, when you fill your tank with gasoline, when you take your medicine, remember that 120,000 people in Artsakh are struggling to perform these ordinary actions.

Gas supplies have been halted, so when entering a warm home, let’s remember that just 350 km away from our warm home, this is happening right under our noses. And it is not happening with foreigners; it is happening with our compatriots.

Every day of the blockade adds new deprivation, because supplies and patience have the property of running out, did you know?

We admire photos of smiling children from Artsakh and videos of Artsakh people joking about themselves, we laugh at a bouquet of turnips while the situation has indeed gone to extremes. Schools are closed due to the lack of electricity and gas, and hospitals are in a state of emergency. Imagine projecting this on your child and parent.

I was supposed to be in Stepanakert on my birthday, December 12; a minor obstacle happened, and if it weren't for that minor thing, I might have been dead now since I am taking replacement medication for my thyroid gland. Pharmacy shelves are empty in Artsakh, and every morning when I take my medicine, I feel a deep sense of despair imagining the daily lives of people in my situation.

This is an honest conversation, so dear girls, imagine that during critical days you cannot buy vital medications. And there are hundreds of small details that undermine human dignity...

And amidst this, there is a photo of a red-faced impotent Russian battalion posing against the backdrop of a kilo of potatoes being distributed. We breathe and try to remain human in a reality that is far from humane.

In the midst of everyday concerns and festivities, let’s not forget that for 120,000 people, there is something more important than a deficit of eggs: the heartfelt attention and unity of the people beyond Artsakh, which has become a green island.

Stepanakert Then and Now.”