Bodies of Soldiers Retrieved from Zangelan Region Yet to Be Identified

The bodies of soldiers retrieved from the Zangelan region have yet to be identified. Relatives are awaiting DNA test results. This information was revealed in a conversation with a mother of a missing soldier from the Ejmiadzin Military Unit N, who requested her name not be published. Parents are concerned that the DNA test results of the remains could be confusing, just as their children were initially reported mixed up in Zangelan.

“We have reached out to the Ministry of Health—if there is confusion and I have evidence that a mix-up has occurred, I will definitely send all the analyses through various channels to different countries for an examination, or I will bring my own equipment to Armenia and try to verify it myself. If they made a mistake, then definitely, the entire Yerablur will get mixed up, everyone will do DNA tests again,” said the soldier's mother, adding, “I have said—don’t think that we are just firing and you can extinguish us, think of us as a volcano—we will never calm down. Don’t play games with me, and if they think telling us that the answer has come will shut our mouths, they are terribly mistaken.”

Relatives of 34 soldiers missing from the Ejmiadzin Military Unit have had no information about their children for more than three months, who went missing in the Zangelan area. In January, as a result of search operations in the Zangelan area, the bodies of boys concealed underground were found—burnt and transported to Yerevan in bags.

Parents are still waiting for the DNA results, and as our interlocutor noted, there has even been a case where a mother who had buried her child a long time ago received a call regarding identification. “We don’t know why, the body that is subject to identification appears in the numbered bags we brought, which was buried by a parent on October 23—with an open coffin. And now the woman has been called 4-5 times regarding identification. The woman explains that it’s not that parts of the child’s body were missing; the coffin was open, the entire child was before her. Either do it correctly, or don’t call her,” she said.

Relatives have doubts that identifications are being made under the name of their retrieved bodies for other soldiers. Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan mentioned last week that 30 identifications are being conducted daily, and there is hope to proceed as swiftly as possible. The soldier’s mother noted that with the pace mentioned by the minister, the identification of the retrieved remains should have been completed long ago; instead, they have been waiting for over 20 days. The soldiers' bodies were retrieved and coded in front of the parents.

“Of the 14 bags we brought, 57 remains were separated. Since February 2, we have already said to prioritize the 57 so that the entire group is clarified at once. Now, if they are doing 30 identifications as the minister said, how is it that nothing has been done in 20 days? It should have been resolved with just two batches for our chemists. Today is the 22nd, and we still have no answers. One person was told there are two legs and one arm; they were buried, but the rest of the remains are missing,” she expressed.

Parents conclude that the ministry is not functioning properly and promise, “Black clouds are accumulating over the Ministry of Health; this will definitely be by our hands. Let them not act in a way that the chemists get mixed up, let them enter Heratsi, the Ministry of Health, let them work properly and not play with any parent’s delicate strings; we have not given them that right.”