Defense Ministry Silent on Soldier's Disappearance from Position: Wife Raises Alarm

Contract soldier Vahe Manukyan has been missing since November 12, 2021. This was reported to forrights.am by the soldier's wife, Liana Meliksetyan, who pointed out that the Ministry of Defense has not issued any statement regarding her husband's disappearance for over three months.

Detailing the circumstances surrounding her husband's disappearance, she noted that the incident occurred after 3:30 PM on November 12. According to the media outlet, Vahe Manukyan went to bring a package from a neighboring position at the request of a fellow soldier and did not return.

“A friend in the trenches asked Vahe to go to the other post to bring his gear, as he had been wounded in the leg, and they are war participants. My husband did not refuse and went. He took his friend's gear and even had two dogs with him. Throughout the entire return journey, he was on the phone with me. During the conversation, he wanted to speak with our son, who was outside. By the time I called my son back, my husband was already unreachable. It did not occur to me that he had gone missing. In the evening, the military police from Vayk came to inform me. He disappeared on the way, how do we understand this? His friends didn’t know he was missing until 6 or 7 PM, and they started searching very late,” Liana Meliksetyan stated.

It was only ten days after Vahe Manukyan's disappearance, on November 22, 2021, that a criminal case was initiated in the Vayk division of the Military Police under the first part of Article 361 of the RA Criminal Code. The case is currently being handled by the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia. Liana drew attention to the fact that the criminal case against her husband was initiated in connection with the fact of leaving the combat position voluntarily and not reporting it.

Vahe Manukyan faces the threat of detention for a maximum of three months, or being kept in a disciplinary battalion for up to two years, or imprisonment for a maximum of two years.

“Instead of writing that he is missing, they write in the criminal case that he has deserted. My assumption is that Vahe has been captured or has been killed,” said the wife.

Auroranews.am attempted to contact the Ministry of Defense regarding the issue for a comment. However, our calls went unanswered. We will publish further information as soon as it becomes available.