Who was Hrachya Grigoryan, the soldier killed in the fire?

Hrachya Grigoryan, a conscript soldier, died as a result of a fire that broke out in the barracks of the engineering battalion of the N military unit located in the village of Azat in Gegharkunik Province. Hrachya was from Yerevan and was the only son in his family, having an older sister. He was drafted into the army last winter and had enrolled in the Management Department of the Faculty of Culture at the Armenian State Pedagogical University before his conscription. This was shared with News.am by one of Hrachya's teachers.

“Hrachya was an honest, humorous young man with a very pure soul. Even his mischief was sweet. His classmate Karen Gasparyan also fell victim on September 13. I always emphasized at the end of each class that they are different, that they are the generation of independence, and that they will perfect the path of our glory…” the teacher noted.

Previously, it was reported that on January 19, at around 01:30, a fire broke out in the barracks of the engineering battalion of the N military unit located in the village of Azat, resulting in the deaths of 15 conscript soldiers. Seven soldiers were transported to the hospital in Vardenis, four of whom were discharged after receiving medical care, while three were transferred to Yerevan with serious injuries to the National Burn Center.

Immediately following the incident, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps and seven other senior military officials were relieved of their duties. Hours after the incident, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the official version at a government meeting, stating that a soldier had poured gasoline on a stove, and when the fire spread to him, he threw a 5-liter container of gasoline toward the barracks in a “self-defense instinct,” which led to the fire. Later, the squad leader told reporters that there was no gasoline in the barracks, effectively refuting the Prime Minister's account. The military prosecutor also stated that it is still unclear whether gasoline was involved or if it was diesel fuel.