Hakob Shahinyan initially served in the peacekeeping unit, then became a special force soldier. Sculptor, artist Hakob connected his life with the defense of the motherland. Hakob was a peacemaker in the family as well.

Forgiving and peace-loving, this is how his younger brother describes him and notes that thanks to this line of his character, they never fought. “I discussed any step in my life with him, he was the greatest advisor.”

“One day he said, “Mom, do you know what I’m dreaming about? When I grow up, I should have a large house, with three floors, and all the walls of that house should be covered with my paintings and then you should live with me. It was connected to me in a some different way,”  his mother said, Ruzanna Sargsyan, within the ”Immortal Victims of the Artsakh War” series of Iravaban.net.

Although Mrs. Ruzanna was against her son becoming a soldier, Hakob chose his father’s path. The mother was unable to stop the son of Artak Shahinyan, a participant of the first Artsakh war, from the life of a soldier.

“I did not want, probably because my husband was injured in the 90s. I did not want to, I did not aggravate it. But he chose. He served in the peacekeeping forces for many years, then he left for two months, I was happy. It took two months, one day he came and said that he was accepted again. I said, “peacekeeper?” He said, “No, I will be a special forces officer.” Well, I knew the difference, that it would be a more difficult situation. He didn’t listen to us, he loved the job of a soldier,” his mother says.

On 27 September, 2020, when the enemy unleashed a large-scale war against Artsakh, Hakob’s son David was very young, but this circumstance did not stop him from going to the battlefield.

“If I had known that I would suffer this fate again, I would have chosen Hakob again. I wish there were couples like us, then we will have a really strong motherland,” his wife, Alina Sahakyan says.

Details in the video.

Hasmik Sargsyan