Born to a peasant family in modern-day eastern Turkey, Babayan joined the Imperial Russian Army in 1917, fighting in the Caucasus Campaign.

Babayan was killed in action during the Battle of Berlin while personally leading an attack and posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Babayan was born on 15 August 1901 in the village of Zykhchi in Kars Oblast (now in Turkey) to an Armenian peasant family.

[1] With the regiment, which became part of the 20th Rifle Division of the 11th Army, he fought in battles on the Caucasian Front, in the overthrow of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, and the suppression of the Dashnak revolt in Armenia.

He was appointed chief of the school for junior specialists of the Transcaucasian Military District's 227th Armenian Mountain Rifle Regiment in September 1937.

[2] Babayan fought in World War II from the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941.

On 9 December, during the recapture of Yelets, Babayan fought with forward units of the regiment in street fighting, during which they were reported to have killed up to 500 German soldiers and captured many trophies, among which there were 15 vehicles.

On 11 December, during the attack on Afanasievo, Babayan was severely wounded, but refused evacuation until the village was captured.

The division was defending positions on the Isthmus of Ak-Monay in the Kerch Peninsula and was virtually destroyed during the May German counteroffensive, Operation Bustard Hunt.

Distinguishing itself in the capture of Yelnya on 30 August, the 76th received the name of that city as an honorific, but on 15 September Babayan was severely wounded for the third time.

In the subsequent Kaunas Offensive, the 338th moved westward and broke through German defenses, then turned north on 16 August and attacked at Šakiai.

[2] On 21 April, during an attack on Malchow on the outskirts of Berlin that he personally led, Babayan's tank was set ablaze by a German panzerfaust.

For his actions, Babyan was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin on 31 May.