An Armenian soldier died in Syunik

A contract serviceman died as a result of an explosion in the Syunik region of Armenia, the country's Ministry of Defense reported. Sources stated that the incident was preceded by a quarrel between the military.

"Caucasian Knot" reported that the share of non-combat losses among Armenian soldiers, according to human rights defenders, has risen to 90%. They called on the Armenian authorities to pay more attention to preventing crimes and suicides in the army. Another incident was reported just a month ago, on August 24: 37-year-old serviceman Aik Movsisyan died in the unit for reasons unrelated to service.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense informed on September 24 about the investigation into the death of the contract serviceman in the Syunik region. The department stated that the soldier died as a result of an explosion, and his family has been informed of what happened, reported the news agency "News Armenia".

The incident occurred near Sisian, the deceased serviceman had recently turned 23 years old. "According to preliminary data, a quarrel occurred between the servicemen, as a result of which a grenade exploded," writes NEWS.am.

According to the publication, the deceased young man was a native of the Shirak region, he had been serving under contract since 2022. His younger brother is also serving under contract. Villagers claim that the incident occurred at a position "in the area of Ishkhanasar." "The whole village is mourning, we cannot come to terms with it," one of them stated.

The Ministry of Defense reacted to the publications of Armenian media with a call to "refrain from premature conclusions." "Some media outlets are quick to draw conclusions and make assessments just a few hours after the incident, while investigative actions are still ongoing," the official Telegram channel of the department stated.

The increase in non-combat losses among servicemen has repeatedly raised questions for the Armenian authorities. The authorities and the ombudsman should address the issue of military deaths in peacetime, the parents of the deceased soldiers stated back in November 2023.

In February 2022, participants in a discussion in Yerevan noted that the increase in non-combat losses in military units indicates systemic problems in the Armenian army. At the same time, they said, the authorities refuse to involve civil activists in solving the problem.