On the morning of September 19, 2023, nine-year-old Gor Arustamyan went to school as usual in the Artsakh capital Stepanakert.

On his way back home, a rocket exploded several hundred meters away causing the boy to die from a sudden heart attack.

Talk of a potential war loomed over the country following a months-long Azerbaijani blockade.

 “I was always cautious, but on this day, I was surprisingly rather calm,” recalls Zvart Arustamyan, Gor’s mother.

Mrs. Arustamyan lived in Stepanakert with her two sons, nine-year-old Gor and eighteen-year-old Gurgen. Their father managed an animal farm in his home village of Hin Shen, where his parents lived, and was often away from home. Consequently, the brothers were very close, always spending time together.

Gor’s parents had long been hoping for a second child.

“When we learned I was pregnant with a boy, I decided we would name him Gor,” recalls his mother. She had chosen that name long ago while reading “Gevorg Marzpetuni,” inspired by the character of Prince Gor.

“On the day of the attack, everything was quiet until noon. Gurgen and I were at home. At noon, my mother called and warned me that the situation seemed tense, advising me to go pick up Gor from school,” says Mrs. Arustamyan.

She called her sister, who lived in Norashen, Askeran, to inquire about the situation. Her sister assured her that everything was calm in their area and that she hadn’t heard of any growing tensions.

To further ease her anxiety, Mrs. Arustamyan called Gor’s school, but they also confirmed that the situation was calm. At the same time, her older son read an announcement from Artsakh’s Ministry of Education on social media, stating that classes were continuing as usual and that they would send the children home. This gave Gor’s mom some peace of mind.

Usually, one of Gor’s parents would walk the boy home from school. That day, Mrs. Arustamyan decided she would go, but her husband suggested he go instead.

That afternoon she was cooking a meal at home when she heard the explosions.

“Gurgen and I ran outside. I was left behind, as I couldn’t run as fast. Suddenly I heard Gurgen calling out Gor’s name. I thought they were together and everything was fine,” Mrs. Arustamyan recalls.

When her sons didn’t return, she continued walking toward the school. On the way, she saw Gor on the ground with people gathered around him. A few hundred meters away, a rocket had exploded. Gor appeared uninjured, and they initially thought he had passed out and tried to wake him.

They took him to a nearby bunker, where a nurse attempted to provide first aid but couldn't revive him. Gor’s family was unable to contact emergency services for transport to the hospital.

Someone in the bunker offered to drive them to the hospital, using the last bit of gasoline in his car. At the hospital, Gor was not admitted due to the large number of injured people. They had to take him to Stepanakert’s medical center.

“At the medical center, he was immediately moved to the intensive care unit. I waited outside, expecting them to soon come out and tell me my son was awake. Instead, I was called upstairs,” says Mrs. Arustamyan, adding that she held out hope until the last moment because one of the nurses had told her that Gor had opened his eyes.

“The doctor told me my son had died. I couldn’t do anything; I just sat on the floor and started praying for a rocket to kill me. I didn’t see the point of living anymore,” she says, crying.

Gor had died of a heart attack. The doctors told his family that it was probably induced by the fear of the rocket explosion.

His father learned about his death a few hours later.

“After learning about Gor’s death, my older son called his father and told him.He cried out loud. That’s probably what saved him,” recalls Zvart. 

On the day of the Azerbaijani attack, many injured people were taken to the medical center, so Gor’s family had to take him home the same day.

Initially, he was buried in Stepanakert, but when his family learned they needed to leave the city, they arranged for an exhumation and reburied him in Abovyan, Armenia.

Gor’s family currently rents lodgings in Yerevan.

“I only find comfort in knowing that my son’s grave is in Armenia and that I can visit it sometimes. I can’t imagine the suffering of those whose loved ones’ graves remain in Artsakh,” says Mrs. Arustamyan.

Gor loved to draw, especially volcanoes. Once, he drew portraits of his family members, capturing everyone with smiles. 

His mother had attached these drawings to their furniture. Although the family did not bring many belongings with them nto Armenia  during their displacement, Gor’s brother made sure to take these drawings with him when they left.

On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh after blockading the region from the outside world for nine months. Azerbaijan’s military shelled civilian communities and military targets.

Twenty-one civilians, including six children, were killed as per data provided by the Artsakh government. Two more civilians died in car crashes while trying to avoid the shelling.