New Details on the Case of 15 Soldiers Who Died in Azat Military Barracks

The trial concerning the 15 servicemen who died in the military barracks of Azat village has entered the phase of examining written evidence. This information has been reported by Sputnik Armenia.

One of the critical pieces of evidence presented revealed that from 2022 to 2023, the fuel allocation for the engineering battalion was nonexistent. As a result, the barracks in Azat were meant to be heated with electric heaters; however, it appears that these heaters were not provided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

"The evidence substantiates that no fuel was allocated. Presumably, the barracks were to be heated with stoves. During that winter, there should have been no fire in the barracks at all. If heating had been done with electric heaters, perhaps this tragedy would not have occurred. One and a half months before the barrack fire, the head of logistics, who also coordinates that sector, concluded after internal investigations that the fire safety system within the Armed Forces was in poor condition, there was a crisis, and the problems required immediate resolution,” stated the representative of the affected party, lawyer Norair Norikyan, during the session.

Norikyan also mentioned that the studies conducted at that time indicated that a complete overhaul of the fire safety system was necessary.