Armenia detains battalion chief over conscripts’ fatal night run

The chief of staff of an Armenian battalion has been detained in connection with the death of a 19-year-old conscript near Chambarak.

According to the reports, the incident followed an argument among servicemen in the unit’s mess hall, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

An officer ordered the soldiers to go for a run as a form of “discipline.” The run took place in darkness. During the exercise, one of the soldiers collided with a partially dismantled truck that had no headlights. The vehicle was being driven by a contract serviceman who did not hold a valid driver’s license.

The soldier, identified as 19-year-old Suren Vardanyan, died as a result of the incident.

The detention of the battalion’s chief of staff is part of the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the conscript’s death.

By Vafa Guliyeva