When Were Soldiers Stationed at the Temporary Barracks in Azat: 3 Statements, All Different

On January 19, 15 servicemen lost their lives due to a fire at the military barracks located in the village of Azat, Gegharkunik. Following the incident, intense discussions emerged online regarding the details of the event as well as the conditions at the soldiers' stationing area, as reported by FIP.am.

On the same day during a government meeting, Prime Minister Pashinyan provided clarity on when the house had served as a military barracks: “Yes, it is clear that this barrack has served as a military facility since 2020. It is also clear that the conditions there are not ordinary, but that does not mean that... this has nothing to do with anything. Any barrack where a person lives, serves, must comply with fire safety regulations,” the Prime Minister noted.

Following the incident, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case and formed an investigative group, stating in a press release that several significant circumstances related to the event had been clarified. “In particular, according to preliminary data obtained, the engineering reconnaissance battalion of the RA Ministry of Defense N military unit has been stationed in one of the houses in the village of Azat since May 13, 2021,” the Investigative Committee mentioned in its report.

Later, during an interview on Public Television in the evening of January 19, Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan also addressed the timeline of the soldiers' stationing. When asked why the soldiers were living in such conditions, Marukyan responded, “Naturally, we have the same questions; we have raised the same issues. And since this is not my area of expertise, I must say that after the attack on September 13, 2022, when the Zorak Military Unit was bombed, the government ordered Italian modular barracks to replace the military unit. And the company that was supposed to supply them even suggested bringing modular barracks used in Afghanistan. The government did not agree and demanded new ones. They ordered entirely new ones, and as far as I know, they have already arrived in Armenia.”

From Edmon Marukyan's comments, it can be inferred that the soldiers were stationed in the burnt facility the day before, after the aggression in September when the enemy had bombed the Zorak military unit. In fact, three different state entities indicate different time periods regarding the stationing of servicemen in the village of Azat: according to the Prime Minister, since 2020; according to the Investigative Committee, since May 13, 2021; and according to Edmon Marukyan, since September 13, 2022.

The Facts Verification Platform reached out to the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Aram Torosyan, to clarify when the servicemen were ultimately stationed in the village of Azat and which statement from official bodies corresponds to reality. In a conversation with us, Torosyan stated that the barracks were temporary, intended for concentration (stationing) in the area until the construction of a permanent military installation that meets modern standards is completed, which is scheduled for the end of 2023.

“Several months ago, the Ministry of Defense acquired modular barracks produced in Italy, the first batch of which is already in Armenia. Ongoing are works on landscaping the area and laying engineering communications, after which they will be assembled,” added the Ministry’s spokesperson.

When asked about the timeline of the stationing, Aram Torosyan referred to the Prime Minister's statement, thus confirming that the house in the village has been serving as a temporary barrack since 2020. “This building has been designated as a temporary barrack since 2020 for this subdivision's stationing; it has been occupied more frequently since 2021 until, as I mentioned, the completion of the construction works for the permanent stationing facility,” Torosyan specifically stated.

The Ministry's press secretary also provided photographs and videos of the new modular barracks, which, according to the ministry, will be ready for operation by the end of this year. Thus, according to the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense, the aforementioned house in the village of Azat has served as a temporary barrack since 2020, which the engineering reconnaissance battalion has occupied more frequently since 2021. Accordingly, the statements of the Prime Minister and the Investigative Committee complement each other, while Edmon Marukyan's statement on this matter is incorrect.