It has become the emblem of Armenia, the symbol of the youth deployed on the front line in the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, this territory disputed by the Armenian forces on one side, Azerbaijan on the other.
In this photo, the hero, Albert Hovhannisyan, a 19-year-old Armenian artilleryman, finds himself gaping behind his howitzer (to prevent the explosion from destroying his eardrums), blinded by the thick cloud of dust.
We can guess his cry stifled by the powerful blasts of his cannon that shake the ground.
Flames flood the background.
Around him, everything suggests chaos.
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My sorrow is immense, but I am even more proud to be the father of a patriot.
My Albert is not only my hero, but our hero to all
Artak Hovhannisyan, father of Albert Hovhannisyan, died on October 8.
As the newspaper La Croix reminds us, Albert Hovhannisyan is one of those whom Armenia mourns today.
It illustrates the cost of this war for Armenia: a few days after this photo was captured by photographer Sipan Giulumian on September 28, this young soldier died from his injuries.
It was October 8, less than a fortnight after the start of the war.
The same day, on Facebook, his devastated father Artak Hovhannisyan wrote these words:
“My grief is immense, but I am even more proud to be the father of a patriot.
My Albert is not only my hero, but our hero to all ”
.
Thousands of people sent him their condolences in comments.
The intensity of the photo, taken at the epicenter of the war, has taken him around the world.
This Friday,
La Croix
devotes three pages in its edition to this young soldier, who will be awarded the Medal of Courage posthumously.
Read also: Why did Nagorno-Karabakh flare up again?
The war which rocked Nagorno-Karabakh for six weeks and which left more than 4,000 dead is yet another outbreak of fever in a territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for more than twenty years.
A cessation of hostilities agreement was signed on November 9 under the aegis of the Kremlin, as Armenia had to commit to making several Azerbaijani districts out of Baku's control for 30 years.