New Details on the Incident of Benjamin Manucharyan, Who Lost His Life Due to Avalanche

The newspaper 'Joghovurd' reports that it has obtained details regarding the incident of Benjamin Manucharyan, who lost his life due to an avalanche. Specifically, prior to the soldier's discharge, calls were made to the military unit's leadership, requesting that the soldier be discharged on the very day he returned to duty. According to our information, the leadership insisted they could not comply; however, demands from influential relatives persisted, as the parents had made preparations for his return.

Consequently, due to the command's concessions, it was decided to lower the soldier from his combat position, which led to a tragic outcome. It is noteworthy that yesterday, in parliament, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan addressed the circumstances surrounding Benjamin Manucharyan's death on the way to a permanent station from the combat position.

The minister initially mentioned that the full picture could only become clear following a service investigation and investigative actions. Nonetheless, Papikyan emphasized that the mountain regions have experienced very harsh weather conditions over the past ten days. 'At the moment, we have more than 200 hard-to-access positions, essentially closed due to blizzards and snow. It is very important to note that we are dealing with a frontline that has been shaped over the past three years, where not all directions are known to us as potential avalanche pathways. Of course, there are also failings in fulfilling proper duties that underlie this issue. I will not mention names or positions, but I must point out that this cannot lack responsible parties. It is clear that there are written orders from higher command for those days to refrain from any movement,' said Papikyan.

Suren Papikyan also added, 'There is a hypothesis connected to this incident that is quite substantiated, suggesting that there was significant external pressure. I would also urge our citizens and the relatives of military personnel to refrain from making undue demands on the military officers. It happened that a group with special equipment went to meet the soldier; however, the weather conditions did not allow them to approach the position. The soldier moved towards them, but due to the avalanche, what occurred was tragic.'

'Joghovurd' is in possession of all the details of the incident, but for the time being, we will not publish them in order not to hinder the service investigation and the ongoing inquiry.