"War has changed the perception of life"

A graduate of the Azerbaijan Medical University (2005) Rashad Mammadov was going to go to Germany in 2020 to continue his education. “I submitted documents, but due to the pandemic I had to stay,” he said. While he was waiting for the opening of roads to Europe, he was summoned to the military registration and enlistment office for clarification his data. There were many talks about the approaching war which "hung in the air", therefore, when the war nevertheless began on September 27, and two days later Rashad received a call from the military registration and enlistment office with the order to appear in the morning at six o'clock. The family received the news almost calmly. Father is a veteran of the first Karabakh war. They did not discuss in the family how to evade service, they did not even think about it. His wife and mother were crying quietly, only Rashad's five-year-old son did not understand what was happening and the possible consequences of the war for the family.

For five days, he was with other conscripts at the location of the Baku military unit. Then he served in Fizuli, Jabrail, Fizuli, and Khojavend. Since November 25, they have been in the Sygnakh village near Khojaly. Lieutenant of the medical service Rashad Mammadov commanded the medical unit of the motorized rifle battalion (tabor-az.), which had more than 350 soldiers and officers. The battalion, together with the officers, was 100% assembled from those called up from the reserve and volunteers. The commander was appointed a career officer called up from the reserve.

Four soldiers served under Rashad's command. The medical company rescued the wounded, and the dead were taken out in a "loaf" attached to them - a military medical UAZ. During the service, they provided assistance to about sixty wounded from their battalion and other units. The supply of medicines and dressings was normal and there was no shortage of anything.

- Most of the employees in the tabor saw the war for the first time; they came to the front from civilian life. How did you endure the new difficulties for you?

- The military spirit of all was high. There was not a single case of desertion in the battalion, no one fled back. In the first days of being at the front, there was fear, excitement, not without this, we are all people. Then, gradually came calm and shells falling nearby, sniper shots were taken for granted. In the village of Sygnakh, an Armenian shell fell next to us, threw me back and received a shell shock. I continued the service. I could not leave my soldiers. A sense of duty to the Motherland and the soldiers did not allow me to leave them and go for treatment.

We did everything that was required of the army; we did it as best we could. For days, they remained hungry, without water, due to shelling on the roads and other reasons. Difficulties did not stop anyone, everyone understood that there was a war and it was wrong to demand everything they wanted.

After the end of the battles for 1-2 days, there was an opportunity to relax, swim in special military ambulances. There were no lice on the body, since everyone understood the need for hygiene, and the officers asked the soldiers as clean as possible in the field.

- Are there interpersonal conflicts in a military collective in a war, as happens in civilian life?

“Everyone there realizes the temporality of being; death can come at any moment. Therefore, they did not engage in petty squabbles. In the battalion, the relationship between soldiers and officers developed as in a peaceful life, between older and younger people. Almost all of us were not regular military personnel, so they transferred to the army a civil understanding of respect for a comrade, younger and older. There was an awareness of the importance of calm performance of duty, the need to take care of the salvation of a comrade in a moment of danger. Of course, someone could not love another, but the awareness of the importance of our common mission consolidated the team.

- How was the problem of sending the wounded and the dead to the rear solved?

- Eight soldiers died in our battalion. They came under artillery or mortar shelling. I cannot say that you can get used to death, but over time, the death of colleagues is accepted calmly, the psyche is saved by the need to perform your own duty. We sent the wounded and martyrs to the field hospital. The names and addresses of the victims were determined according to the lists and notes with the telephone numbers and addresses included in the machine gun case available in the military unit. Such casings were in the pocket of every soldier. The bodies of the dead - Azerbaijanis and Armenians - were collected from the fields by soldiers and officers of other units and taken to the location of hospitals.

- What tasks did your battalion perform?

- Special purpose forces liberated the territory and handed it over to motorized rifle units ("infantry"), which defended these positions. Sometimes the infantry also participated in the attacks. The main work in this war was done by artillery. Death could come even during rest, so some of our soldiers died - they were sitting together when the shell fell.

I remember the most dangerous moments - the removal of the wounded during the battle, in the firing zone. I did not expect anything else from the war, what I saw and experienced did not come as a surprise to me. Someone had to do it. In Fizuli, we came under fire; a medical vehicle with red crosses visible from a distance became a target for Armenians. Any Azerbaijani vehicle, no matter military, medical or civilian, was necessarily fired upon. There is no difference for Armenians. Our car had a punctured wheel; we had to spend the night in an open field, hoping for the personal small arms that military doctors had.

- How did you communicate with your relatives who remained in Baku?

- I had a simple phone with me. Smartphones are prohibited to soldiers. We rarely find ourselves in the zone of Azerbaijani mobile communications. Climbing the hill, one could “catch” the Azercell wave. For 44 days, it happened that for weeks I could not call home. When I managed to get in touch, I spoke no more than 2-3 minutes: I am healthy, do not worry. It is impossible to name the location; everyone understood the possibility of wiretapping by the enemy.

- How did you return home, to a peaceful life? Is peace with Armenia the right decision?

- In December, our battalion was withdrawn from Karabakh and disbanded. All were fully paid for the service. On December 21, I returned to Baku for treatment at the hospital. On January 6, I was discharged home with the rank of senior lieutenant.

We slowly come to our senses. It was difficult for everyone; family members lived my war with me. My father was very worried, the women were crying. There were never any attempts to get me out of there.

Now, after the war, a lot has changed in my eyes. I began to look differently at life and the world. The most precious thing is life, and you should be glad that you are alive, that you are here and now. Material goods and so on, this is secondary.

We learned about the signed Peace Declaration on the morning of November 10, in the village of Sygnakh. We were told that Armenia had surrendered. Everyone was happy, but not as in Baku because martyrs were still lying next to us, it was necessary to save the wounded. The approach of our return to our families was just gladdening.

The war is a great shock for our country, its people have lived through it twice, and we have suffered great losses. This is the heroism of our people. It was difficult for us, the young generation, to feel the whole tragedy of the first Karabakh war, when so much blood was shed for every step along the front road. Now, the time has come for our generation to experience it. The war united Azerbaijan. Everyone in the republic, regardless of nationality, had a common goal - Victory.

Three large areas were returned to us without fighting, but there were lands that would have to be liberated by diplomatic means. Three thousand martyrs is a lot. Seeing the photographs, videos of the victims and the tears of their parents, I cannot find a place for myself. Why fight and shed blood if you can liberate your homeland peacefully. War is bad, terrible. But it happens that war is inevitable and remains the only way to solve the problem.