Ellada Balayan’s backyard resembles a battlefield even after the war. The chicken coup, fence, and other parts of the yard were damaged by a UAV. However, just like her daughter says, Lusine Harutyunyan says that everything can be replaced. But she can’t bring back her mother.
Ellada was the first woman who died in Martuni from heavy wounds on the head and near the heart. An enemy UAV killed her on September 27th. People in Martuni remember that incident with grief. She was the first, and they hadn’t yet gotten used to the terror of the war. The same day, Lusine’s husband’s niece, Victoria, was also killed by a UAV.
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Lusine was in Jabrayil with her husband and children when the war began. Her husband is a soldier. She said that she took her children and quickly left to go to Yerevan. The attacks were so strong that she did not even get a chance to take clothing for her children. She barely was able to save her four children. “We got in the car and escaped. They reached Jabrayil in 30 minutes. They shot at our car. Now, we’re amazed at how we survived.” She said that she left behind 15 years of her life in Jabrayil.
Lusine’s sister was also severely wounded, but they were able to save her. Her sister does not even want to hear about returning to Artsakh, especially since her mother is no longer alive. Lusine said that when the first shelling took place, she quickly called her mother. Her mother told her not to go to Martuni, but she didn’t say how serious the situation was. “She told me to leave quickly, but not to come to Martuni. She said I should go somewhere else. Later, I found out that my mother died, my sister was wounded, my sister-in-law was wounded, and her daughter had died. It was a terrible situation. I didn’t know what to do.”
Lusine was also forced to take care of one of her relative’s children since the mother had also been wounded. “I went to Yerevan with these five children. I don’t know how I took care of them with all this pain. I thought that I must be strong to handle this much pain.”
Lusine returned to her family home in Martuni with her four children 20 days ago. She said that she cannot leave her father by himself. According to Lusine, the family had decided to hold a huge birthday party for her mother’s 60th birthday. “She loved necklaces, so we decided to get her a gold necklace. But she left our house empty. Now, there is emptiness in our house.”
Lusine said that her mother worked at the hospital in Martuni for over 20 years. She took care of many people, but they were unable to save her. She said that Martuni’s roads were being targeted by the enemy, and ambulance drivers took huge risks in going to save people. Even funerals were quick affairs.
The Balayan’s home was shelled the second time. The first took place in 1992, where it was completely destroyed. Lusine’s parents built the house from scratch. Now, the house remains, but Ellada is no longer there.
Lusine Budaghyan
