An Azerbaijan drone strike killed Lieutenant Armen Karapetyan, a contract solider, on the night of September 12, 2022. 

Azerbaijani forces had attacked Armenian military positions along the border, targeting civilian infrastructure as well.

Karapetyan was serving in an Armenian unit in Sotk, a village in the country’s Gegharkunik Province.

Two months later, his wife, 23-year-old Lilit, committed suicide.

We’ve come to the Karapetyan family house. With trembling hands, Armen's mother Bavakan Karapetyan tentatively opens the door to the room where the couple once lived. In the closet of the small room, Armen's things are carefully arranged side by side: pictures, military hats and cologne. On the wall hangs a large wedding photo of Armen and Lilit.

Mrs. Karapetyan shows us photos from the young couple’s wedding.

Armen and Lilit were from the Gegharkunik village of Artzvanist, just south of Lake Sevan. They met at a friend's wedding, Armen was the best man, Lilit was the bridesmaid. They dated for one year and then they decided to start a family.

"One day, he came home and said he had seen this girl from the village. Knowing Lilit, her family, we were happy. The joy of our child was very short-lived. Lilit and Armen loved each other very much. Armen gave his life for the sake of the motherland, and Lilit, for the sake of Armen," says Mrs. Karapetyan.

On the evening of September 12, Armen returned home from work when someone from his unit called and said war had broken out.

"At 12:05 he left the house. We kept calling him, asking where he was. Armen told us to stop calling. He had to reach the military post. That’s when he was hit,” says Mrs. Karapetyan

After Armen had left, his father, Karapet, and his father-in-law, Pertch, went after him.

"They turned us back from the road. We left the car in Vardenis. We went on foot with another soldier's parent. There was a call from Armen's number, the soldier's father answered. I told him to ask about the whereabouts of the phone’s owner. He said it’s the number of our company commander. He said Armen was hit in the shoulder and taken to the hospital. We went and searched all the hospitals but did not find him. They had immediately transferred him to the Martuni morgue," says Armen's brother, Vachagan.

When Lilit learned that Armen had been killed, she attempted suicide. Her father rushed her to the hospital and the doctors managed to save her life.

"At the hospital, they had taken Armen's wedding ring off Lilit’s finger. They sent it home later. On the day of his burial, Lilit was caressing her hands. She saw the ring was missing. ‘Where is Armen's ring that I put on my finger. Bring me this ring.’ She put the ring on Armen's finger with her own hand and said loudly, ‘Dear Armen, I give you my word. I will not leave you alone. I don't see the point of living without you. I will come to you.’ Those of us standing by were stunned. We told her she was the wife of the hero Armen,” recounts Armen’s aunt Nona.

Nona adds that Lilit said her life would have had some meaning if she was expecting a blue-eyed blond child resembling Armen.

Lilit's father, Pertch, hardly speaks. He says he wants to talk about his daughter but can't. Lilit was a teacher and loved her work. He says Lilit was unique.

"She loved everything, everything," he says, his voice muffling. "There was nothing that she was unhappy about. She was always happy, always had a smile on his face from childhood. An unfortunate war, an unfortunate war." Pertch whispers, as if talking to himself.   

On the night of November 11, 20022 Lilit’s mother found the body of her daughter. 

"The mother went out to go to the barn. She noticed that the bathroom light was on. The door was closed. She ran to Lilit's room and saw no one. They opened the bathroom door and found Lilit. It’s the Romeo and Juliet of our time. They loved one another very much. They chose each other," says Armen's aunt.

Lilit and Armen Karapetyan are buried side by side in the family cemetery.