Yuri Aghasaryan, who died in the war unleashed by Azerbaijan on 27 September, was born with a smile on his face. The mother, Narine Badalyan, says that she was very worried when she did not hear her son crying, but the doctors calmed her down, saying that the child was smiling.

Yuri was 5 years old when the family moved to St. Petersburg.

“Every time I said that my Yuri would not serve, he would hear from the next room and come, he would start fighting with me. He said, ‘Do not make a decision in my place,'” the mother says.

Mika Tangyan, Yuri’s childhood friend, says that their friendship was not hindered even by the distance, they were always together, and they played games.

“He was ready for the service, he had no fears. When he came from Russia I asked him, ‘Yuri, are you ready, do you want to go?’ He said, ‘I came for that,'” Mika recalls.

The mother says that she was very proud of her soldier son, she was even ashamed that she tried to keep the boy back from the service.

The last time he wrote a message to his mother was on 26 September.

“I was sure he would not leave me alone,” the mother says .

Yuri Aghasaryan has caused great loss of human and technical equipment to the enemy. He died on 27 September.