Artyom Melkonyan's Death Leads to Arrest of Contract Soldier

In connection with the death of soldier Artyom Melkonyan, a contract soldier identified as A.A. has been arrested by the investigative committee of the Republic of Armenia for actions under Article 373, Part 3 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to causing death through negligence due to violation of firearm handling rules.

The Investigative Committee reports that the pre-trial investigation is ongoing. On May 4, around 20:00, during a shift at a combat position in one of the military units located in the southern direction, soldier Artyom Hovik Melkonyan (born 2002, drafted in 2020, from the Ministry of Defense's Gegharkunik Army Corps) sustained a fatal gunshot wound following a violation of firearm usage protocols by a fellow soldier.