With Disregard for Death and a Determination to Honorably Fulfill the Combat Mission
In honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the website is publishing stories of the Gazprom Group employees about their family members who participated in the war.The digital projects of “Gazprom” PJSC “Our Victory. My Story” and “Our Victory. My Story in Photographs” serve as a kind of chronicle of the war years, helping retain the memory of those who contributed to the Great Victory.
One of these stories is dedicated to the maternal grandfather of Mr. A.R. Hakopyan, Chairman of the Management Committee — Director General of CJSC Gazprom Armenia — Gurgen Asaturovich Khachatryan.
Gurgen Asaturovich Khachatryan, my maternal grandfather, was born on 21 February 1911, in the city of Vagharshapat. He was sent to the front line in June 1941 as part of a separate anti-tank destroyer battalion of the 165th Separate Rifle Brigade. Holding the rank of lieutenant, he served as deputy battery commander for political affairs in the Separate anti-tank destroyer division.
Grandfather went through the entirety of the Great Patriotic War, fighting on various front lines, but like many veterans, he did not like to speak about the war. His arduous combat path was marked by courage, self-sacrifice, and heroism. What is known about Gurgen Asaturovich from archival documents is a source of pride — both for me and for all his grandchildren.
Gurgen Khachatryan (right) with a friend-in-arms
As Deputy Battery Commander for Political Affairs, he not only raised the soldiers’ morale but also personally led them into battle under the enemy’s fire. For exemplary execution of combat orders and for his valor and courage in the battles for the city of Novorossiysk, Gurgen Khachatryan was awarded the Order of the Red Star — one of the most distinguished military honors of the Great Patriotic War.
Episode from combat operations in February 1943, excerpt from Gurgen Khachatryan’s award citation
Morevover, to the Order of the Red Star, Gurgen Asaturovich was awarded the Medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus” in 1944 and the “Medal for the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 in 1945.
Episode from combat operations in February 1943, excerpt from Gurgen Khachatryan’s award citation
My grandfather, together with millions of Soviet soldiers and officers, performed this great feat and handed over the Great Victory! It is now our duty to keep the memory of these heroic individuals with care and to pass their stories on to our children and grandchildren. So that they will remember, and so that the memory of them never fades…
Gurgen Khachatryan (first row, third from the right) with friends-in-arms and his wife Alisa Oganesovna (first row, third from the left) at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Great Victory in Novorossiysk