Growth of non-combat losses in Armenian army contradicts statements on reforms Human rights activists demand Papikyan's resignation

At a time when the Armenian authorities are announcing reforms in the army that are gaining momentum, aimed at "improving its efficiency and combat capability", the sixth case of non-combat deaths was registered in August alone, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

"Human rights activists are outraged by the negative statistics in the army, while the higher offices have recently limited themselves only to official press releases. Nevertheless, by the end of the month, a meeting was held there to discuss discipline in the Armenian Armed Forces and the existing problems," the article says.

Over the past week, Armenia's Defence Ministry confirmed the deaths of three servicemen, and the number of non-combat losses in the army rose to six for August. All deaths have been officially classified as suicides or suicide attempts, except for the August 26 case, which is still tentatively considered to be the result of electrocution.

Press releases of the Armenian Defence Ministry usually contain a minimum of information. They indicate possible versions and reasons for the deaths of servicemen, after which the documentation is transferred to the competence of the military police or the Investigative Committee. Many people in Armenia, especially parents who have lost their sons in the army, question the effectiveness of the work of these two agencies.

The Ministry of Defence responded to the outrage of human rights activists about the increasing number of deaths of servicemen in the army by holding a meeting on discipline in the Armed Forces under the personal leadership of Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan. The event took place on August 29, during which Papikyan, judging by an official report, emphasized that the issues discussed are "of key importance for improving and strengthening discipline in the army, ensuring the safety and efficiency of military operations."

"The Armenian Armed Forces registered 64 cases of servicemen's deaths during 2022. It is important to note that this statistic does not include the victims who died as a result of fighting with Azerbaijan in September 2022, the number of which currently stands at 222.

During this period of time, about half of the deaths associated with the service, namely 14 people, were the result of violations of the ceasefire by the enemy. However, the remaining non-combat deaths continue to be recorded.

The statistics on non-service-related deaths are also noteworthy. Of the 32 recorded deaths, 15 were due to automobile accidents, 13 from illnesses and 2 from accidents," the article said.

The media writes that the topic of losses in the Armenian army remains at the centre of attention of society and politics.

Human rights activists see the fault of the Armed Forces commanders first of all in the current difficult situation with discipline in the army. "The impression is that there is no higher command staff," resents human rights activist Zhanna Aleksanyan, who has been engaged in the defence of human rights in the army for a long time.

Since the beginning of this year, according to Alexanyan, more than 50 deaths have been recorded, only 13 of which were related to ceasefire violations. "We are dealing with unprecedented statistics of deaths in the army. There was no such thing in the past," she noted, while reminding that the top army leadership should be held responsible for the deaths of servicemen.

"First of all, Defence Minister Suren Papikyan should have resigned long ago," she said.

Leonid Nersisyan, a military expert and researcher at APRI Armenia Analytical Center, sees a complex of reasons negatively affecting the specifics of the army service. "This is education, upbringing and discipline. This is a complex of reasons, there is not a single reason here, with the removal or correction of which, it is possible to straighten the situation. Unfortunately, this is not the case," he said.

The second reason for the negative statistics, according to the expert, is related to the loss of army infrastructure due to the 2020 war and the subsequent border clashes with Azerbaijan.

"This is the loss of military units. Even the story of the fire (in Azat village) shows that the servicemen were in a room completely unintended for them. Plus, Armenia's new big border with Azerbaijan, the increase of the army personnel on the territory of Armenia, as they used to be on the territory of Karabakh. So far, it is not so well cantoned," Nersisyan said.

As a third problem, he calls the slowness of reforms in the army.