"I know how to shoot.” "I’ve done combat training.” "I do not like weapons. I do not like war, to be honest." "I can give first aid." "I am a very good cook".

These are the qualifications voiced by women showing up for recruitment for the Artsakh frontline.

Hetq talked to some of them waiting in line at the Armenian Ministry of Defense’s Public Council Building in Yerevan.

Those eagerly waiting for their turn in the corridor are afraid they will not be selected. The most frequently asked question in the corridor is: "Do your people know that you have come?"

The door to the selection room is open. All the applicants are crowded at the door to hear what the lieutenant colonel is asking.

 One of the girls is 18. She hasn’t told her family about her plans. Lieutenant Colonel Marineh Ayrumyan is angry. “If I ship you to the border, what will I say to your parents?”

Almost everyone who waits has relatives in the army. Two of the women are volunteering along with their husbands. Their husbands are volunteering at another location.

The office phone does not stop ringing. 

A 63-year-old woman has been arguing over the phone as to why a 55-year-old can be selected and not her. Nineteen applicants have already been rejected due to their age. Applicants must be between 18 and 55 years old.

Family consent and good physical health are other qualifications, along with one of the following skill - shooting, bandaging, cooking.

Those selected will not immediately be dispatched to the border. 

Their abilities will be tested in the coming days, then there will be a training phase. 

"We have high hopes that by the time we are ready to leave, the war will be over," says Lieutenant Colonel Ayrumyan.

Author: Ani Ghulinyan

Hetq Media Factory Student