"The Cause of the Fire Was My Fault": New Details on the Military Barracks Blaze

During a court hearing concerning the fire at the military barracks in the village of Azat that claimed the lives of 15 servicemen, defendant Yeghishe Hakobyan stated in response to a question from his lawyer that he was accompanied by two other servicemen. Lawyer Norikyan pointed out that Hakobyan had concealed this fact from the investigative body.

Hakobyan further clarified, justifying himself: "The cause of the fire was my fault." He also mentioned that he sustained burns while trying to ignite the stove and was unable to reach the part of the barracks where the soldiers had been sleeping.

It is worth recalling that on January 19, 2023, around 1:30 AM, a fire broke out in the barracks of the engineering battalion located in the territory of the Armenian Ministry of Defense's Military Unit N in the Gegharkunik region. As a result of the fire, 15 servicemen lost their lives and 7 others were injured.