 Nyorai kuenderera mberi kweiyi ndima - Yanikian akaberekerwa muErzurum muna 1895, pakakwirira kwekuuraya kwevaArmenianrakanga ratora matunhu okumabvazuva oUmambo hweOttoman. Mhuri yake yakakwanisa kutizira kunzvimbo yakachengeteka, asi pavakadzokera kuErzurum makore masere gare gare kunotora zvinhu zvavo zvavakanga vaviga mudanga, mukoma wake mukuru Hagop akaurayiwa nevarume vaviri veTurkey. Yanikian akanga achidzidzira kuva injiniya paUniversity of Moscow apo Hondo Yenyika I yakatanga. Pashure pokuziva nezvokutambudzwa kwevaArmenian neTurkey munguva yeGenocide, akaenda kuCaucasus muchirimo cha1915 uye akabatana neboka revazvipiri veRussian Army kuti azive zvaizoitika kunhengo dzemhuri yake, dzaakanga asina kunzwa kubva pakatanga hondo uye dzaigara muOttoman Empire. Akapiwa basa rokushanda muchikwata cheinjiniya chaiva nebasa rokunyora mepu yenzvimbo yacho pamberi pemasoja chaiwo. Sezvo uto reRussia rakanga richifambira mberi, Yanikian akapupurira zvakananga kuparadzwa kwakaitwa vaArmenia. Paakasvika muErzurum, akawana bhizimisi rababa vake rava matongo uye akaziva mitumbi yehama dzake mbiri. Akataura kuti mudare rokuparadza rudzi, akarasikirwa nenhengo 26 dzemhuri yake yakakura. 