On December 12, 1944, Soviet pilot Nelson Stepanyan perished bravely. Nelson Stepanyan directed his downed plane to an enemy ship. So Armenia fought, so the sons of Artsakh fought, and one was worth a division.
For skeptics and doubters – in that last battle, along with Stepanyan died his navigator Alexey Rumyantsev. He did not eject himself from the plane, he did not abandon his friend and commander. They died together, an Armenian and Russian.
He did not quit. And now, when new thugs and Nazis are standing on the borders of Artsakh, we citizens of multinational Russia should remember that we have shared much with the Armenians and do not have the right to “quit and eject.”
Stepanyan was one of the many legendary heroes born on the holy Artsakh land who left for the Great Patriotic War and gave their lives in the struggle against Hitler. He also was twice Hero of the Soviet Union (second award posthumously).
Stepanyan had 259 sorties, sank 13 ships, destroyed 80 tanks, 600 vehicles, 27 aircraft, 100 combat guns, 130 machine gun points, 40 railway wagons, 4 crossings, and about 5,000 soldiers and officers.
Eternal memory to Nelson Stepanyan!
Nelson Stepanyan
ՄԵՐ ՄԵԾԵՐԸ. ՆԵԼՍՈՆ ՍՏԵՓԱՆՅԱՆ /MER MECER@. NELSON STEPANJAN/
