Only 9 Cows Left in the Village, the Rest Have Been Blown Up by Mines: "Hraparak"

According to the "Hraparak" newspaper, there are approximately 9 cows left in the village. Most of them have been blown up by mines, and there are mainly three families that keep livestock in the community, as informed by Hasmik Simonyan, a resident of the Nerk’in Hand village in the Syunik region.

"It's winter season, and there is little milk available. Everyone in their family, those who want to, say they are providing," said a female resident of Nerk’in Hand.

During the September war, the enemy made significant progress and gained control over the vast orchards of the Nerk’in Hand residents. Earlier, the villagers had reported that tons of fruit remained unharvested on trees because they couldn’t collect and sell them as they were under enemy observation and fire.

"There was compensation for the livestock losses, and currently, they have promised to provide compensation for the orchards as well, so we will see what happens," Simonyan said.

This year, however, winter in the village is mild, with sunny weather, and no snow has been seen, recounts Ms. Hasmik. The presence of unwanted "neighbors" is continuously putting pressure on the residents, as the village is surrounded on all sides: "They are located 150-200 kilometers away from us, positioned on all sides."

We inquired whether the villagers are trying to communicate or signal to the residents from afar. Ms. Hasmik emphasized that there has been no such communication or contact.

However, she noted that previously, when vehicles passed through in the evening, Azerbaijanis would shine strong lights to cause accidents. Although this has not happened for a considerable time now.

“Almost all of us in the village are pensioners, with only a couple of young families. We are getting by on our pensions. Our main and only topic concerning us is our cemetery, which we cannot visit freely. They are located there, and we can no longer get there in any way,” said the Nerk’in Hand resident.

She mentioned that the drinking water issue seems to be resolved, as connections have been made, but water has not yet reached them. For heating their homes in winter, they rely on wood that they had stored during summer, as at that time the nearby forest was not under enemy control; however, during the September war, that too was captured by the enemy.

“We are heating our home with a stove, burning wood. This year we will manage, but we don’t know how it will be next year because that forest is currently under their control,” she said.

This means that heating their homes next winter will become a problem for the villagers. Ms. Hasmik stated, "Let’s see about next winter again; maybe they will withdraw."

But she also acknowledged that nothing is contingent upon them. Their safety is no longer guaranteed. Is there an outflow from the village? The residents assure us that there has been no shortage: "We went for evacuation and came back — we barely stayed five to ten days in evacuation, then we returned to our homes; none of the villagers have left the village."