Defense Ministry and Investigative Committee Release Joint Statement on Soldiers' Incident in Chambarak

The Armenian Ministry of Defense and the Investigative Committee have responded to information circulating in the media and social networks regarding the tragic incident involving soldiers in Chambarak. Earlier, reports emerged suggesting that the incident followed a brawl between conscripts in a military unit's cafeteria, after which, allegedly, the soldiers were punished by being made to run wearing gas masks before bedtime.

According to the same publication, the soldiers were still wearing gas masks at the time of the incident and therefore did not notice the approaching vehicle. It should be noted that these claims were made referencing internal sources and had not been officially confirmed.

The Ministry of Defense and the Investigative Committee are now denying the information relating to the gas masks. “Following a joint discussion with our colleagues at the Investigative Committee, we find it necessary to respond to one of these reports; the claims that the soldiers were running in gas masks are not accurate,” the statement reads.

At the same time, the official message does not clarify why the soldiers were in that area in the evening, whether they had been made to run, and what led to that situation. It is worth recalling that on August 19, around 21:00, a vehicle of the “GAZ-53” model struck several soldiers on the road leading to the city of Chambarak. Soldier Suren Mambrakyan died, and six other soldiers were injured. An investigation is underway to clarify the circumstances of the incident.