Ivan, Julia, Olga and Violet Petrosyan were a family living in Azerbaijan. They had been living in the country for generations and were residing in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan at the time of the pogroms. The daughters of Ivan and Violet, Julia and Olga were eight and four years old at the time.

In 1989, the family fled to Russia with backpacks and Ivan's guitar, with a promise of safety that fell through. They then went to Armenia and tried to assimilate, but left after a month due to the cold reception they received. The family would then go back to Russia and on to Ukraine.

While they were on the move, they were victims of discrimination for their ethnicity and religion as devoted Christians. Julia and Olga were particularly affected due to their treatment in school. The family would eventually find refuge through a church founded by American missionaries. Through this church, the family made their way to the United States, where Ivan and Violetta still reside.

Violet is the Director of International Students at Charleston University and Ivan works in maintenance for his local church and has also started a coffee roasting business. Julia is now married with two children and runs a café in Denmark that she helped establish as a ministry for community outreach. Olga graduated from Bethel University with a degree in vocal performance and is now an associate producer at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville.

The family's story was translated to screen in the film Between Borders (2025). The film's script went through eight drafts and took two years to make. It stars Elizabeth Tabish and Patrick Sabongui as Violet and Ivan. ~Ryan Donahue