Russian peacekeepers are standing afar from Amaras Monastery in Artsakh, but there are units of the Defense Army of Artsakh at and next to the monastic complex. The entrance to the monastery is closed since it was dangerous in this sector during the war, and Armenian soldiers were compelled to open an entrance from the back of the monastery.

“Now there is an entrance to the monastery because the Russian flag is already on the gate of Amaras Monastery and it is safe,” said head of Matchkalashen village Lernik Avanesyan, who was injured during the defense of Amaras. “The Azerbaijanis wanted not only Amaras, but also all the territories. Amaras had always been their target. They wanted to seize it back in the 1990s, but they failed because our defense was strong,” he added.

Commander of the platoon Mkhitar Ghulyan assures that the boys stand strong here, consider it an honor to defend Amaras and know the enemy well. “The adversary sometimes screams from afar. The Azerbaijanis stand up, scream and then go back into their holes. Sometimes they scream ‘help’ in Armenian so that we move forward and fall into a trap,” he said.