Requiem services for23-year-old Senior Lieutenant Meruzhan Stepanyan, killed in the fighting that has engulfed the Artsakh Line of Contact for the past three days, was held at 6p.m. today at Gyumri’s St. Nshan Armenian Apostolic Church.

A relative of the young soldier told Hetq that she last saw Meruzhan on March 27 when he and his bride to be visited family members for Easter.

The woman said she last spoke to Meruzhan on April 1. Family members wanted to know if the military situation in Martakert’s Talish village was peaceful or not. Meruzhan’s fiancé said that the family was concerned because on the same day the body of 20-year-old soldier Vladimir Melkonyan was sent back from Artsakh to Gyumri. She says that Meruzhan’s words that all was alright comforted the family somewhat.

After graduating the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute, Meruzhan was stationed in Talish. When Meruzhan was still in school, the family relocated to Yerevan. Meruzhan’s fiancé is from Shoushi, a town in Artsakh. Meruzhan was the only boy in the family.

Meruzhan’s parents found out about his death on April 3, from the Talish military post. His body was returned to Gyumri yesterday evening.

Funeral services are scheduled for tomorrow.