Vank is ready for war
We stand firm on our land. Should the war restart, we are ready to fight to the last man and woman," said the headman of Artsakh's Vank Village.
Fyodor Ohanian, who has been heading the village for 16 years, says they are not going to cede an inch of land to Azerbaijan.
About 1560 people live in the village today. People from the neighboring villages also come to Vank to work here. The community has a school, kindergarten and hospital which have been renovated thanks to a Moscow-based businessman from Vank - Levon Hairapetian.
The average salary in the village is 100000 drams.
"We do not have a similar hospital even in Spitak. People here receive free treatment and medicine," said Nurse Marine who came to Vank from Spitak.
The locals rarely leave the village in search of job. On the contrary, many of them have returned to the village in the past years.
The village takes the lead over the other villages in Martakert region. The role of the village was especially significant during the war as the first attack was started here. About 320 villagers participated in the war. Sixty of them died on the battlefield.
The role of the village of Vank in the Martakert victory is high: from here began the first attack. 320 villagers participated in the war, 60 of them - were killed. Though the village has been bombarded several times recently, it continues its struggle for freedom.
