Kocharian's Daughter Shows the Basement Where the Kocharian Family Took Shelter During Bombardments

This is the basement that became a temporary shelter and refuge for my family during the Artsakh Liberation War years. Every time I go to Stepanakert, I make sure to come here, where memories unfold.

Second President Robert Kocharian's daughter, Gayane Kocharian, wrote on Instagram: "I remember the door laid on the floor, which served as a bed, I remember the sandbags placed in front of the window to protect us from shrapnel if a bomb exploded nearby, I remember the neighbors who came to take shelter with us because their buildings had no basement, I remember the New Year we spent in this basement, I remember my mother’s birthday when she ran upstairs amidst the bombardments to make sure the food didn’t burn, I remember the speed with which I ran when I heard the air raid sirens or simply felt that a bomber was approaching (and I almost always felt it), I remember how my mother was wounded… I remember the indescribable feeling of fear that you do not express, but it exists inside you, and you learn to live with it. Fear for your family, your loved ones, your homeland, and for the very next day… I remember the sense of safety I had when my father appeared after a long absence, if only for a very short time to see us. One day before the operation in Shushi, he came to see us. This time, however, it was a feeling of anxiety rather than security; we sensed that it was a farewell… There are so many memories and accompanying emotions that one could write endlessly… But one feeling that I always have when recalling all this is an indescribable pride, pride in the victory our people achieved as a result of all this. Pride that my father played a key role in shaping that crucial victory. Happy holiday, grandpa! Thank you for you and your kind of people for the fact that I and we have a victorious homeland and heroes. #my_hero_is_my_father"