Echo of Defeat: Why Armenian soldiers are dying without a war
The crisis in the Armenian army is getting worse, the visible manifestation of which is the increase in non-combat losses. Experts remind that this is happening against the background of discussions about the future of the Russian military base, which further complicates the security situation in Transcaucasia. Details are in the "Izvestia" material.
Murders for no reason
Non-combat losses have increased significantly in the Armenian army. Another tragic incident occurred at the end of September, when an explosion killed a soldier in the city of Sisian in the south of the country. The Armenian newspaper "Graparak" reports that the incident was preceded by a dispute between the military, after which a grenade exploded.
In August, the Armenian army lost at least four people. At the end of the month, 37-year-old contractor Hayk Movsisyan committed suicide, leaving him with two children and a pregnant wife. Relatives said that the deceased was a calm person and regularly attended church, so his act looks very strange.
In addition, two young men died from gunshot wounds. And on August 19, a tragic incident occurred on the highway, where a contract soldier without a license driving a truck hit a group of conscripts who for some reason were doing an "educational run" at night. 19-year-old Suren Vardanyan died on the spot.
Another high-profile incident occurred at the end of July. At that time, 20-year-old Narek Torosyan, who was a student at the Faculty of Journalism of the Russian-Armenian University, committed suicide in the military unit of the city of Chambarak. It later turned out that the unit had mocked the deceased, and two of his colleagues were detained.
In general, Armenian human rights activists report that 30 soldiers were killed in January–July, and 35 by the end of September. Exactly the same number died last year. In total, after Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018, non-combat losses amounted to 462 people, under the previous authorities in 2010-2017, one and a half times fewer died.
Without an axe and oil
Human rights activist Zara Hovhannisyan cites hazing as the main cause of death, which has turned into a system of pressure and humiliation. According to her, a separate problem was the penetration of the criminal "code" into the army, which prescribes responding to any verbal insults.
Everything is aggravated by the weak support of military personnel. Full-time psychologists did not appear in the military, and in February of this year the system of military chaplains was abolished. For the authorities, this was another step in the fight against the Armenian Apostolic Church, but the soldiers had fewer opportunities to get help in a difficult situation.
An additional problem is the blatant mess in the armed forces. The Hetq edition published the story of a participant in military training camps. According to him, the positions on the line of contact with Azerbaijan are not fortified in any way, in case of an attack or an artillery strike, "it is impossible to get out alive."
The man also reported that there were no heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, but for some reason there was ammunition for them. "The absurdity continued in the staffing table. ""There was a crew of a large—caliber "Kord" machine gun without the "Kord" itself and a squad of drones without UAVs in the position," he said, adding that there was not even gun oil and an ordinary axe on the contact line to chop firewood and keep warm.
The scale of the problem in the Armenian army is such that even Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had to admit it. Which, however, shifted the responsibility onto the servicemen themselves. He stated that soldiers' deaths are often linked to gambling addiction and heavy debts, as well as their personal and family problems.
Defense Minister Suren Papikyan does not consider himself responsible either. "I cannot give an assessment of the intensity [of incidents in the army]. But the fact that the Minister of Defense can be blamed for these deaths is news in Armenia," he said, pointing out that murders and suicides have always occurred in the armed forces.
The Armenian newspaper "Hraparak" claims that Pashinyan is actually unhappy with Papikyan. He allegedly had a tough conversation with the minister and wants to dismiss him, but does not see a suitable candidate to replace him. So far, the matter has been limited to more minor personnel decisions — two advisers to the Minister of Defense and the head of the Department for the moral and psychological state of the armed forces have been dismissed.
Farewell to the generals
In general, the combat capability of the Armenian army raises serious questions. After the defeat in the Second Karabakh War, large-scale personnel purges took place in the country's armed forces. The result of that wave of dismissals was the resignation of Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan and his first deputy Tigran Khachatryan.
This policy continued later, with the last major layoffs taking place during the 2026 election campaign. "A large number of experienced commanders have been released from service, as a result, the number of officers has decreased. Those who remained had much more responsibilities and problems," said Tigran Abrahamyan, a former member of the Armenian parliament.
The second important point concerns the foreign policy reorientation. Armenia is curtailing cooperation with Russia and the CSTO countries, switching to importing French and Indian equipment, and talking about implementing NATO standards. At the same time, it is clear that such complex processes do not happen quickly.
Oleg Salyukov, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, said that the transition of the Armenian Armed Forces to NATO standards will be a lengthy and complex process requiring large budget expenditures, with an unclear prospect for security. "According to our military economists, NATO standards are always expensive and by no means always effective," he said.
In addition, the physical presence of the Russian Armed Forces in Armenia is being curtailed. In recent years, Russian border guards have stopped providing security at the Armenian-Iranian border and Zvartnots airport. In early September, Nikol Pashinyan also said that Yerevan would not object if Moscow decided to withdraw the 102nd military base in Gyumri.
Against this background, the statement of Lieutenant General Norat Ter-Grigoryants, who is considered the founder of the modern Armenian army, became characteristic. In an interview in early September, he criticized the policy of the current authorities, opposed the possible withdrawal of the Russian military and said that he was renouncing his Armenian citizenship in protest.
What the experts say
The current scale of non-combat losses is a disaster for a small republic, said Arman Abovyan, a former member of the Armenian Parliament. According to the expert, this is a consequence of the crisis of public administration, which is also affecting the army.
— The ideology has been destroyed, the soldiers have no understanding of what they serve for. The authorities say bluntly that they are not going to respond if the neighbors shoot. All this is corrupting the armed forces. I do not rule out that if there is a curtailment of the Russian presence, then a large—scale escalation in our region is possible," he warns.
The small Armenian army cannot be considered a factor of military and political stability in Transcaucasia, says the Caucasian expert Artur Ataev.
— The purge of the generals and senior officers is underway, there is a reorientation towards Indian and French weapons, which adds to the destabilization, because this is a complex and lengthy process. At the same time, Turkey is increasing its presence in the region, and the partnership between Baku and Ankara is becoming an increasingly important factor," the "Izvestia" interlocutor draws attention.
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