Relatives Saw David in a Video - He Was Injured, Today His Name is Already on the List of the Fallen

On November 16, a private soldier named David Helberti Amiryan was killed during military operations in Syunik. He was from the Debet community in the Lori region. The contracted serviceman had also participated in the 44-day war. In a conversation with NEWS.am, the head of the Debet community, Ashot Ghazaryan, stated that 41-year-old David had served as a contracted soldier for about 6 years and had gone to Syunik on November 6.

According to the community mayor, David's relatives recognized him the day before in a video circulated on one of the Telegram channels, where he is shown being transported on a stretcher by Azerbaijani military in uniform and in an injured condition. “It’s a 6-second video, he does not speak, but it is evident that he has injuries on his legs and head. The video was taken in a closed area, not much could be understood,” Ghazaryan recounted.

The community leader learned today while on the way to the Red Cross and Ministry of Defense with David's brother that David's information was also on the list of soldiers killed in Syunik. “We were going to report that we recognized David, that he was injured, but on the way we heard the news of his death. The most painful part is how news about fallen soldiers is disseminated. The relevant authorities had access to the relatives’ contacts, but they announce the names of the fallen through the news without informing the families beforehand, as if pouring salt on the wound. I urge the authorities reading this to change their attitude. We had seen the video, we were filled with hope, thinking we would find him and he would heal, but on the way we hear about his death. What I witnessed, what happened with the brother, is not right, it was the result of irresponsible treatment,” said the head of the Debet community.

It should be noted that the video featuring David Amiryan was circulated on one of the Azerbaijani Telegram channels. The former deputy director of the State Emergency Situations Service of Artsakh, Boris Avagyan, had stated the day before in a conversation with “Factinfo” that one of the Armenian servicemen in Baku was injured and needed surgery. “As far as I know, an agreement has been reached to operate on the soldier, to stabilize his health condition so that he can be transferred,” Avagyan said, adding that the Azerbaijani side promised the Russian side to return the serviceman.

Meanwhile, this morning, the Ministry of Defense published the names of six fallen servicemen, including David Amiryan. David, 41, lived in Debet with his parents and had siblings. “He was a worker in a hardworking family, unique in his demeanor, calm, approachable to everyone. I can say he was a fighting type, it is clear from the video that he was engaged in combat and physically he probably could not continue because he had injuries. The last contact we had with him was on the 16th, when military operations had not yet started,” the community mayor recounted.

It is recalled that on November 16, around 1:00 PM, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched an attack on Armenian positions on the eastern front of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The adversary used artillery, armored vehicles, and firearms of various calibers. For several hours, battles took place in that direction, during which the Armenian side lost two combat positions. With the mediation of the Russian side, a ceasefire was agreed upon starting from 6:30 PM.

The Ministry of Defense had initially reported one casualty, who was identified as contractual serviceman Meruzhan Arthur Harutyunyan, born in 1991. The ministry also reported that 13 servicemen were captured, and contact with 24 servicemen was lost, their fate at that point unknown. Today, on November 19, the ministry announced that during the battles sparked by the attack of Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the eastern direction, as per current data, the Armenian side had 6 fallen soldiers. They included: 1990-born senior lieutenant Taron Jivani Sahakyan, contractual servicemen born in 1991 junior sergeant Meruzhan Arthur Harutyunyan, 1990-born private Gurgen Ashoti Sargsyan, 1998-born junior sergeant Arthur Jivani Martirosyan, and 1980-born private David Helberti Amiryan. The identity of another fallen serviceman is still being determined.

Intensive efforts continue, with the participation of the Russian side, aimed at the return of those taken captive and the discovery of the missing people due to the clashes.