In Armenia, soldiers' deaths raise problem of discipline at Russian military base

The situation at the 102^nd Russian military base in Gyumri, soldiers of which regularly face tragic incidents, proves the low level of military training and the lack of strict criteria for servicemen selection. This opinion was voiced by experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 23, at the training ground "Alagyaz", a Russian soldier accidentally shot his colleague from a submachine gun and after that committed suicide.

Such incidents provoke serious fears, since there are no clear criteria for the selection and training of Russian soldiers for the military base in Gyumri. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Ruben Megrabyan, an expert from the Centre for Political and International Studies.

"The incident provokes concern. It cannot be excluded that being in a state of similar emotional affect, because of moral and psychological flaws, a soldier can open fire in a public place," suggested Ruben Megrabyan. He has also noted that such incidents cast doubt on the implementation by the Russian side of its security obligations.

The Russian authorities should pay special attention to discipline on the military base, believes rights defender Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly.

According to his version, there is also no legal assessment of the military commanders' actions. "In particular, in the Permyakov's case, no one has been punished. In each individual case, the guilty persons must be punished. Armenia should raise the issue of organization of the military service," the rights defender has emphasized.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.