The Military Base in Azat Village Is Not the Only One: The Conditions Under Which Border Soldiers Serve

On January 19, a fire broke out in the barracks of the engineering battalion of the defense ministry’s N military unit located in the territory of Azat village in Gegharkunik province, resulting in the deaths of 15 servicemen. Photos that have been published show that it was a simple rural house.

Considering the fact that recently there were no military facilities in these areas, while all known military units are near Sotk village, journalists from the “Fact-Checking Platform” visited several other border communities in the area and discovered that the ‘barracks’ located in Azat village is not the only one.

Camouflaged nets made barracks easy to find

It should be noted that finding the barracks located within the community was easier than one might think. They were discovered thanks to camouflage nets. In other words, what is intended for concealment makes it easier to find. If journalists could locate them without any additional information, it is evident that it would be even easier for the Azerbaijani armed forces to find them.

Due to the sensitivity and danger of the topic, as well as the principle of not endangering the soldiers, the media has not disclosed where these barracks were located or how many there were, but we can mention that they were military units located within ordinary rural houses.

It has not been made public how many soldiers they were intended for or how many soldiers were living there at the time, again for security reasons and to avoid providing information to the enemy.

Conditions of the “Barracks”

The soldiers live in a house that is no different from other rural homes. In those villages of Vardenis, there is no gas supply, and the houses are heated with wood, coal, and even dung. In the barracks, there was a stove installed in a common room for heating (most likely designed for coal). Piles of wood around the room and house suggest that wood was used for heating.

The same room was also used as an office, an arsenal, etc. In other military units, arsenals are located in separate rooms, secured with iron bars, and fire safety rules are strictly followed. No incendiary items are allowed in the arsenal. Here, however, just 3-4 meters away from the arsenal, there was a stove, and the room contained tables, chairs, a sofa, and a wooden floor. This means that in the case of a fire, the likelihood of any explosives in the arsenal igniting was very high.

It should also be noted that a fire extinguisher was placed on the windowsill. How usable it was or whether it was still within its shelf life is hard to tell; nevertheless, we note that it did exist.

Interestingly, the highest-ranking soldier, whose name is not disclosed for safety reasons, continued to insist that they were living under very good conditions, had no complaints, received food on time, had their linens changed, and had the opportunity to take showers. The only request he had was: “To open the Lachin corridor and for Aliyev not to attack.”

Among the photos, there are two barracks provided to the servicemen in Azat village, with the remains of the structure still smoking. The scattered pieces of metal outside clearly indicated that they were military beds. It is unknown where the stove was when the fire broke out, but the ruined house shows that the presumed burnt room had one entrance. The remaining two windows in one of the rooms were barred. The other room in the house also had similar bars. One of the bars was damaged, leading to the assumption that an attempt had been made to break it to escape from the room, but it was unsuccessful.

Both rooms had one exit leading to the corridor or common-use room. It is presumed that the stove was located in that particular room, quite close to the doors, and as a result of the fire, the only exits from the rooms were effectively blocked.

According to the Cadastre Committee, the house in Azat village belongs to Svetlana Atanesyan, who has owned the property since 2006. There are no records of any other transactions regarding the property (rent, gratuitous use, donation, etc.) in the Cadastre Committee.

When did the soldiers start living in the village houses?

There have been various statements about how long soldiers have been residing in these barracks. According to the Prime Minister, the soldiers have been in the barracks in Azat village since the 2020 war, while the Investigative Committee claims it was after the May 2021 invasion, and Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan asserts it was after the September 2022 aggression.

The spokesperson for the defense ministry, Aram Torosyan, clarified that the servicemen had been there since after 2020 but were permanently stationed there after the events of 2021, essentially confirming both the Prime Minister and the Investigative Committee.

A soldier who spoke with the media in another barrack also stated that they had been there since the September 2022 attack.

Information regarding the property rights of these houses is not made public for security reasons.

Thus, we can conclude that the well-known barracks in Azat village is not the only one in such conditions. There are many similar houses where soldiers are serving. Fire safety, sanitation, and other security regulations are largely not observed here, basic infrastructure and living conditions are lacking. There are no emergency exits, windows are barred, etc.