Says a participant in the second Artsakh War, Vahagn Samvelyan
The TV series “The Last Teacher” was aired on the Public TV channel and was well-received by viewers within a matter of days. TV viewers will remember the image of a patriotic young man, Armen, who wanted to stay in his native country at all costs despite the fact that his family wanted to move abroad. The image of Armen was created by Vahagn Samvelyan, who is no less patriotic in real life.
Vahagn was conscripted into the army, and as the young man said, “I was given a voucher to Yeghnikner.” After serving for two months, the second Artsakh war began, during which the young man received a projectile wound to the head and unfortunately lost his eye… The actor confessed that he always thought he would not serve or that he would not go to the army, but if war were to suddenly begin, he would be the first to go to the frontlines. He always imagined himself on the battlefield from a young age when he would play video games. “I was able to shoot very well in school. It was normal to me that I would fight in a war. I was convinced that if the Motherland were at war and it needed me, I would absolutely stand next to my Motherland,” Vahagn said.
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How did the war begin? “The war began at 7:20 AM. I was drinking coffee. I think it was Saturday, which is why we were not doing any physical training. I heard an explosion near the second regiment of Yeghnikner. We did not pay any attention to it because we thought they were doing some training. Then, we heard another explosion from the opposite side, near Mount Mrav, and we understood that something was up. We went to get weapons, helmets, and vests. We were new soldiers at the time… We got our weapons and we waited for the shelling to stop so that we could go to the positions. It was too dangerous to go by car. At 11:20 AM, the shelling stopped and we moved. The shelling began again while we were on our way. We were in the forest and we hid behind the rocks because it was safer. We stayed an entire day behind that rock. We didn’t have connection. The last order was to go to the positions, but we hadn’t reached them yet. At night, we went to the shelter and slept. We made tents the next day. After we made the tents, we decided to eat, but the shooting began, and that’s when I was wounded,” Vahagn said.
He then described the war. “The war was like a movie. You’re in the forest, you have a weapon, and someone can come out from behind the bushes at any moment and kill you. You must be careful so that you are the first to kill them… You can escape, but that is also not a solution. It’s useless. You just have to do the most helpful thing at that moment.”
What did the war change in his life? “Nothing special, just how much I can see. I only have one eye now… Oh, the time period for me to accomplish all my dreams has also shortened. I must get everything done within the next 30 years. After that, I don’t know what will happen to my other eye. The same goals and same work need to take place. I won’t continue my service in the army. I am no longer useful for our army,” Vahagn said.
He said that he does not believe that Armenian soldiers lost. “Armenian soldiers did the impossible and won… Yes, some people deserted, but there were others who fought the Turks with a grenade in their hand like Robert Abajyan. Robert was a role model for all of us, and people like him cannot lose. This is the bitter truth. You’re in such a tense situation in war that you’re not thinking about becoming a murderer…”
He also spoke about his future plans during our interview. “Soon, I will go to the Russian Drama Theater and perform in plays. After that, I want to go to St. Petersburg to see what I can do. But I will not move away from Armenia; I will return. Armenia is a wonderful, beautiful, fun, and safe country. It is heaven. You just have to be financially stable to enjoy all of that,” the young man said. In response to our question of whether he would go to the frontlines again if there is another war, Vahagn said, “Of course. If Armenia needs me, I will go, especially since I feel like I left my work unfinished. I loved serving. I was happy when I would wake up ten minutes before everyone so that I could drink a cup of coffee and smoke.”
At the end of the interview, he gave all new soldiers brotherly advice. “It is not necessary to be friends in the army. There are no friends in the army. You’re all brothers there. Friends are not obligated to do anything for you, but a brother will give his life for you. All soldiers and officers must become a whole, invincible organism. Therefore, go to the army and become brothers.”
Hasmik Petrosyan
