“If you run away, I will hit you in the back.” Sacrifice hero Sipan’s speech in position

The photos placed in a corner of the house have already become an integral part of Adriana’s daily life. After waking up every morning, the two-year-old child approaches his brother’s pictures, says hello, kisses him, and then runs to his mother’s arms.

In the photos, the hero of the 44-day war is Sipan Soghomonyan. Little Adriana knows her brother from family stories and photos, but that connection is felt at home every day through love, longing and memories.

Sipan’s mother, Karine Mayranyan, says that after the loss of her son, she could not imagine for a long time that she would ever find the strength and desire to become a mother again, but inside she felt that her daughter, Milena, needed a sibling.

“I fought for almost two years. After every unsuccessful attempt, I did not give up, I tried again. One day the doctor said that maybe it was due to age, and I was already starting to come to terms with that idea. But as soon as I stopped the medication, the next month I found out I was pregnant. Perhaps with the help of Sipans, everything went well,” says Mrs. Karine, adding that her daughter helps her a lot in taking care of the baby.

He says that his son’s presence in his life has never stopped.

“Every morning I say, “Hello, dear Sip,” every night, “Good night.” Sometimes I ask myself: where did I get so much strength? Then I understand that Sipans gives me strength. For me, he is not the past and will never be. We do not separate him from our lives. he wakes up with us, sleeps with us, experiences all our joys and holidays with us”, says the mother.

Sipan was drafted into the army on December 27, 2019. The family tried to convince him to at least spend the New Year at home and then go to the service, but he did not agree. “Darling mom, let me go and come back soon. Those three days will not change anything,” says Mrs. Karine, adding that Mataghis became Sipan’s place of service by drawing lots. His mother remembers that on the inauguration day, she recognized her son among hundreds of soldiers only by his smile.

“At that moment I understood that he is no longer the child who went to the army. He had already become a man,” he says.

Sipan was involved in sports since childhood. He trained from the age of eight, and after the eighth grade he moved to the Olympic College. He participated in many tournaments, receiving medals and awards both in Armenia and abroad. However, as his mother remembers, he never liked to show off his successes.

“He always brought the medals and quietly put them aside. “When we said, ‘Show me, let’s be happy,'” he replied, “I brought the important thing, the rest is not needed,” he says.

Apart from sports, Sipan’s great love was cars. He dreamed of having “Niva”. He was a good driver and often said that he would buy a house after returning from the service.

“I used to say: when you buy a house, you will have a room for me, so you can take me with you,” recalls the mother.

During the war, Sipan remained loyal to his friends and position until the end. One of the soldiers later told that even in the most difficult moments, he would take out the perfume from his pocket and jokingly “smear” the boys. When one of the soldiers offered to run away, Sipan sharply replied:

“If one of you runs away, I will stab you in the back.”

Since then, the mother admits that she never uses the word “escape” when talking about her son.

On September 26, Karine Mayranyan read information about border movements on the Internet and called her son worried. At first, Sipan did not answer, but later he called back and assured that everything is fine. That evening, he called his most beloved people: his grandfather, his sister, his aunt, and his best friend.

The family had prepared sweets to send to Sipan the next day. However, in the early morning of September 27, it became clear that a war had started. Since then, Sipan has not called home again. The mother is convinced that her son simply could not lie and say that everything is fine. “He told his friends, ‘I can’t talk to my parents because I don’t want to lie,'” he says.

Sipan was killed on September 28, on the Mataghis-Talish road section. During the retreat, the “Ural” vehicles were damaged by an enemy drone attack, and many soldiers did not manage to get out of them. Sipan was injured and taken to Mataghis, but due to the severe lung injury he received, it was not possible to save his life.

“The child didn’t even have a scratch on his face…” says the mother, adding that they learned about her son’s death from the list of names of the dead published on the Internet.

“Before taking every step, I think for a long time about how he did everything carefully and responsibly. That memory always accompanies me, helps me to live more consciously”, says Mrs. Karine, then adds: “Most of all, I want people to understand the value of peace. They should look up for a moment and realize how many lives were left unfinished, and appreciate and live the life they have been given.”

Perchuhi Gevorgyan