“I took my weapon and went to the basketball court” - Sanan Aliyev

Here is what our featured veteran told Fanat.az:

“So, how did I end up going to war? I remember that, in the year of the war, National Basketball Association (NBA) games were being held in a single US state because of the pandemic. The play-offs fell in September. I was called up after watching the Denver Nuggets — Los Angeles Lakers game. People from the military enlistment office came and said there was a training exercise. I set off for training, not for war. I went to train at a military unit in Gusar. Then they drove us to Aghjabadi. When we arrived, I realised this was war. The war began on 27 September.

My journey through the war began in Gusar... From there, it was Aghjabadi, then Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Khojavend... We finally stopped, so to speak, in Qirmizi Bazar, near Shusha. The war ended, and Victory Day became part of our history.

I have medals for the liberation of Fuzuli, Khojavend and Jabrayil, as well as the “For the Motherland” medal. The President awarded me these four medals. It truly was a historic event for Azerbaijan, and an honourable combat journey for us...

After the war ended, we returned to Gusar, stayed there for a while and then went home. I returned home from the war around 27 December. I would even say that I consider 27 December my second birthday, even though my birthday is in February.

Let me share another interesting story with you. We had entered a village in Khojavend called Zogalbulag. We had been told that enemy saboteurs or others might be in some of the houses there. Despite that, I took my weapon and went to the basketball court. There was a court in the school grounds. I took my weapon with me, just in case. I even have a photo from there.”