Intense fighting along the Line of Contact in Artsakh spurred Hovig and Vrej Asmaryan, two brothers who immigrated from Aleppo to Artsakh five years ago with their families, to sign up as volunteers in the fight.

They have yet to be called.

“As an Armenian, we don’t like war. We are on the side of peace. But we are always ready to defend our homeland in a war foisted upon us,” says Hovig Asmaryan. “Last April, all Armenians marked the 100^th anniversary of the Genocide, chanting the slogan that such a thing would never be repeated. The next war inflicted upon us will end with our consecutive victory. We are approaching May, the month of our victories, and I am confident that another victory awaits us.”