THREE SOLDIERS, THREE BROTHERS, THREE INDIVIDUALS

Three soldiers are sitting in front of me. Are they brothers? They are completely different. Khoren, the Senior, has a peaceful look, eyes are honest, thinking. Hovik is the youngest, is a handsome guy with a mischievous twinkle in the eyes. Hayk is in between, with strong muscles, you feel a rebel in him. And he starts talking: “So we have come from Russia. We came to defend our homeland.”

The Mkrtchyan brothers grew up in the city Sarapul, Udmurtia, Russian Federation. Recently they have come to Armenia, and became the soldiers of mandatory military service.

Hovik: “My father used to say – Yerevan is more beautiful than Moscow. And so it is. Moscow is a rough town, and Yerevan is like old, but precious clothes, and because of aging does not lose its beauty. In our company there is equality. The son of a businessman and son of a worker serve together.”

Hayk: “Being Armenian – it’s an honor, my father always says. Khoren and I 6 years were doing karate, took second place in the championship of Russia in our weight categories. Here in the army company commander Captain Arthur Melkonyan helped us a lot, he is like father, friend and commander for us. Once, during a field training it began to rain, it became cold. Our company commander took us to his tent. How can we, the soldiers, look at each other down, that even our commander does not look down, when we see how much he cares about each of us? If everyone had a commander, as we do, no one will win our army! ”

Khoren: “I have noticed that in Russia people live according to their own notions of good and bad, and here in Armenia you are obliged to live, taking into account public opinion, then you become a prisoner of some stereotypes. For example, I felt that the arguing guys would forgive each other if there were no “viewers”, if forgiveness is not considered a sign of weakness but of strength. For me it is very funny to see the efforts of self-assertion of some soldiers. I went to the army to learn the military specialty, to serve my country and I do not understand those guys who do not do anything, and are proud of it.

Nice guy is the one who uses his physical strength to help people. My father always said, there is always the stronger of the strong, you lift up the one who is weaker than you, than the one who is stronger than you, will lift up you.”

Interviewed by GAYANEH POGOSYAN