'Ilya': Book about fallen war hero presented in Yerevan
Yerevan’s Komitas Museum-Institute on Sunday hosted the presentation of a book telling about Ilya Hakobyan, a fallen Artsakh war hero.
The soldier was killed defending Artsakh during the 44-day war in 2020.
The book titled “Ilya” features his sister Hasmik Hakobyan’s lines, media reports about the soldier, poems and memoirs.
The book begins with the lines of the author, Ilya's sister: "You won a victory in Shushi, I was defeated in your Shushi. And I am the only one left alone, so estranged from You and Your Shushi."
"On 13 December 2022, I was to travel to Artsakh. My parents and other relatives were there. But on December 12, the road to Artsakh was blocked. I didn’t unpack my suitcase for months because I believed that I would return home, Ilya’s home. My parents were in Artsakh and I lived alone in Hrazdan. My mom spent 9 months longing for her son's grave, she held on because she believed in victory," Hasmik Hakobyan said in her opening speech.
The event was attended by the hero soldier’s relatives, friends and fellow villagers, other Artsakh war heroes’ mothers and relatives, as well as military men, political and public figures. The event also featured performances and a video clip about the hero.