Soldiers Repair Their 'Ural' Trucks with Their Own Money, Says Mother of Accident Victim: 'Azatutyun'

The grandmother describes her grandson's condition as "barely breathing, lying in the intensive care unit" after visiting him in the military hospital. He is a contract soldier, and yesterday he was one of the 20 wounded in the military 'Ural' that rolled into a ravine in Syunik. Four soldiers died in the accident, and among the injured are those in critical condition.

The exact causes of the incident are still unknown. The soldier's mother said her son doesn’t remember how the vehicle left the road and ended up in the adjacent ravine. "He says the only thing he remembers is the crash and then remembers the helicopter transport," the mother shared.

The soldier's mother was distressed; she couldn’t meet with the Minister of Defense who came to visit the injured. She had questions, for example, why the issue of military vehicle malfunctions often falls on the soldier’s shoulders. "They repair these 'Ural' trucks with their own money— the soldiers, the kids... no help from anyone. How many times have similar incidents occurred? It has been said that parts are missing, that parts are needed; they take and repair the vehicles themselves. But, she says, while we were fixing one, another one was breaking down. What were these kids supposed to do? They should look after the soldier. If they are using such faulty equipment, at least let it be operational. How many more victims and injured will there be? The pain is very great; I can say a lot, but I don’t want to, let them know themselves."

Recall that on April 12, at around 15:25, a vehicle of the Ministry of Defense transporting servicemen from military unit N went off the roadway and ended up in an adjacent ravine. The accident resulted in 4 fatalities and 20 injuries.