The legendary hero of the Nagorno-Karabakh liberation war, Vardan Stepanyan (aka Dushman vardan), died his heroic death during the battle twenty years ago on this day.

Remembering his feats, a companion-in-arms, Igor Sargsyan, spoke about his character at a Friday news conference. He recalled how the composed man would turn into a brisk personality in the battlefield.

“When Shoushi was already liberated on his own initiative, mines were planted around Lachin and two tanks were brought to the territory to make the enemy’s progress impossible. His military knowledge and human nature revealed his highest values,” he said, noting that hero was loved by both friends and the military command.

Dushman Vardan died of a mine explosion on a highway connecting the villages of Harav and Myurishen (Martuni region). He had left there for performing a military task.

Another friend of the hero, Mkrtich Tonoyan, who was a member of a youth detachment in the war period, said Dushman Vardan was a source of encouragement in the battlefield and always helped friends to overcome fears.

“Everybody dreamt of becoming a sensible and good person like him. When they gathered around the fire in at nights, he would organize literary evenings, with everyone reciting or recounting whatever he knew. Vardan was a man of high knowledge,” he said, adding that the hero would also teach friends to think about others in the field of battle.