Major Lendrush Khachatryan, a former battalion commander Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army, is one of the many wounded in the 44-day war of 2020 provoked by Azerbaijan. Khachatryan who had received an open brain injury, after the stabilization of his condition in 2021, was transferred to Moscow for rehabilitation treatment and later to the Soldier's House rehabilitation center in Yerevan.
Text and photoes: Syuzanna Margaryan
The Khachatryan’s separated family in Stepanakert: wife Ruzan and 3 children
Major Lendrush Khachatryan, a former battalion commander Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army, is one of the many wounded in the 44-day war of 2020 provoked by Azerbaijan. Khachatryan who had received an open brain injury, after the stabilization of his condition in 2021, was transferred to Moscow for rehabilitation treatment and later to the Soldier's House rehabilitation center in Yerevan. Three years after the war, the commander is still unresponsive. Doctors assess the condition as stable but critical.
.png)
Maj. Lendrush Khachatryan's awards and medals received during his service
The war completely disrupted the Khachatryan family's normal life. Ruzan, his wife, had to take care of their three children alone for three years while also being by her husband's side.
Before the war, the family resided in a apartment they rented in Stepanakert. However, they had to move to Yerevan where they lived in a hotel with government assistance to be with Lendrush for several months. Due to the lack of further funding, she reluctantly had to move back to Artsakh with their three young kids in August 2021 leaving him under the care of medical staff. The family received temporary accommodation in the a hotel in Stepanakert, where Ruzan has been living in a 2-room hotel apartment with her children for 2 years.
.png)
The Kashtan Hotel, where the family lives in Stepanakert
The family, which has not yet overcome the consequences of the war, has to face the difficulties caused by the blockade of Artsakh. On December 12, Azerbaijan violated the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement signed on November 9, 2020, by closing the life road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, the Goris-Stepanakert highway. Approximately 120,000 Armenians have been confined by the siege for nearly eight months.
They has not seen the father of the family for eight months. Until December 12, 2022 Ruzan, aloong with his daughter Nane kept travelling to Yerevan and back to see Lendrush in the hospital. The last time she saw him was on December 2. They were supposed to travel again to Yerevan on December 14, but the roads were already closed.
“During these months, we were thinking of applying to the ICRC in order to visit my husband at least once, but the situation is uncertain. Before, I used to leaving my two children, taking only the little one, but now even if it works out, how can I leave my school-age children under these conditions. In March, my husband's sister went to Yerevan with the help of the Red Cross, she is not married and in her case it was easier to visit her brother, besides, my husband's mother went to Yerevan before the blockade. They still cannot return to Artsakh,” Ruzan notes.
Their only means of connecting with Landrush now is through video calls. Several times a week, when Landrush's sister goes to visit him, she calls Ruzan. Despite Landrush's unresponsive state, they find solace in seeing him through these calls.
"Throughout these years, the doctors and I held onto the hope that frequent visits might yield a positive effect and that one day he would respond. However, eight months have passed, and we haven't had the chance to see that happen," Ruzan reflects.
It should be noted that according to the official bulletin of the Artsakh Info Centre on August 1, almost 3,900 people, including 550 children, are separated from their families due to the blockade.
Throughout this period, Ruzan has been on maternity leave, as their youngest child, Nane, is only three years old. Ruzan was previously employed as a mathematics teacher in the village of Khnatsakh near Stepanakert. However, due to ongoing challenges, she's unable to continue working. The family's primary income now is disability benefits for Lendrush paid by the government.
Ruzan took it upon herself to learn driving and obtained a driver's license to handle her husband's car left in Stepanakert. She navigates the responsibilities of caring for her two school-age children and newborn while tending to her family's needs.
.png)
.png)
Nine-year-old Norayr, five-year-old Narek and three-year-old Nane
For three years, nine-year-old Norayr, six-year-old Narek, and three-year-old Nane are growing up away from their father. The boys remember him well, but due to their young age, they might not fully grasp the seriousness of their father’s health condition. Regardless, they eagerly anticipate his recovery and homecoming.
.png)
.png)
Nane was born on July 7, 2020, merely three months before her father's injury..
"From time to time, the kids start talking about how dad will get better and come back home. They even have this idea that he might need a wheelchair, but he'll still be here with us," Ruzan shares.
Existing problems have been multiplied due to the blockade. Since the start of the blockade, various food items, particularly almost the entire range of vegetables and fruits imported from Armenia, have become items of scarce supply and eventually disappeared from the shelves.
The humanitarian situation in Artsakh has worsened further due to the complete blockade that began on June 15th. During this time, Azerbaijan has also imposed certain restrictions on the movement of Russian peacekeepers and Red Cross personnel through the Lachin Corridor.
"Under siege, we face the same difficulties as everyone else. Basic foods like fruits, vegetables, and the kids' favorite treats are scarce. Now, transportation is also an issue. Fuel is scarce, making it impossible to use the car, and public transportation is inactive. Walking Nane to kindergarten every day is tough, especially in the summer heat. Moreover, kindergartens are about to close, which poses a significant problem as I attempt to balance caring for the children and attending courses that could help me secure a new job in the future. I can't manage to take my children to class or kindergarten," explains Ruzan.
When electricity is available, Ruzan strives to cook for the children and heat water for bathing purposes.
.png)
.png)
.png)
The challenges of daily life in the hotel while under siege
The daily life of the family, like everyone else in the conditions of the blockade, passes in queues that have already become normal. In recent days, there are also queues for bread in Artsakh, and Ruzan and her children also have to wait in queues for hours for daily bread. Narek says that they try to go to the bakery with the brother so that the mother does not have to stand in the sun for hours with little Nane.
Ruzan notes that the hotel provides a meal once a day, so at least if they don't get bread in the queues, the children will surely have bread once a day.
Ruzan's main concern now is to ensure her children have enough to eat every day and, if possible, to move to Yerevan with them.
“Who knows how many months my husband will live? At least during that time the children will get to see and recognize their father even in that condition,” she says, ending the conversation.
And this is the story of just one of the thousands of divided families who are now struggling under the blockade, hoping that the situation will soon stabilize and families will finally be reunited.
.png)
Join us on Telegram