Two of the 27 martyrs of the “Volunteer Movement” NGO battalion were posthumously awarded the Artsakh Combat Cross Order of the 1st Degree, the others—the Medal of Courage—for their exceptional courage and bravery in defending the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) state border during the large-scale military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020, writes Aravot.am.

On Wednesday in Yerevan, these medals were handed over to their relatives by the secretary of the Artsakh Security Council, Artsakh Hero, Major General Vitaly Balasanyan.

At the end of the solemn ceremony, Balasanyan said: "Back in 1988-91, 1991-94, when the national liberation movement, the struggle was revived, we were able to bring victories. Of course, today we are sad; we have lost [the recent war]. But we will return everything—except our martyrs; rest 100% assured. I am confident that we will overcome all the difficulties—whether political, military, social, economic—in a short time.

At the same time, I would like to extend my respects, my thanks to all the participants, to the families of our fallen comrades-in-arms. I am confident that the womb of an Armenian woman will never dry up, will always give birth to heroes.

Rest assured: we have enlisted in the army and we will win, even in the most difficult situation, in a very short time.

There is something imperative in the eyes of the children in this hall. Dear children, rest assured that we will hand over to you a victorious country."

Video from Yerkir.am