The Soldier Defends Me on the Border, and I Defend Him Here: Hadrut Region, Banadzor Village

On April 7, together with photographer German Avagyan, we moved to the south—Jebrail region, where intense military actions have been recorded these days. Despite the agreement on ceasefire, the threat, that the road may be totally bombarded, was big, that’s why we were accompanied by comparatively safe field roads.

We stopped in Hadrut region’s Banadzor village, which is 122km far from Stepanakert, and according to Kamo Musayelyan, head of the community, it currently has 189 inhabitants. There was deafening silence in the village; one of elders of the village—grandpa Yeghish, was cultivating the land neighboring his house. While we were having a talk, the grandchildren gathered around us, then some other inhabitants of the village joined. Despite heated fighting throughout these days, population of the village cotinued its daily routine. To our question, whether the children aren’t afraid and at least them should be eliminated from the village, grandpa Yeghish replied, they warned their daughters-in-law not to touch upon it in the presence of the children, and not to say that “the Turk is about to invade,” so that they aren’t afraid. The villagers don’t even think of leaving the village.

“Our soldiers, our children fighting on the border should know—we are here, in the village, next to them, and they shouldn’t worry, we won’t go anywhere. They defend us on the borders, and we defend them here,” grandpa Yeghish said, continuing to calmly cultivate his land.

Grandpa Yeghish agreed to take a photo of him, with a condition, that we were his guests and they could at least treat with a cup of coffee. We were in a hurry, so we couldn’t accept it.

Women of the village, although restless, were uttering like one, “This is a destiny,” and they aren’t going to leave their village, their homes.

We moved to Jebrail from Banadzor—to the frontline and military hospital.

It’s worth adding that Banadzor used to have a population of 1000 inhabitants, in the Soviet period, and during the World War II they had 144 victims. The monument in memory of the victims has been destroyed as a result of Azerbaijani bombardments of Karabakh war, which Kamo Musayelyan, head of the community, restored it with metal constructions.

By Satik Seyranyan

Photos by German Avagyan