Murder in Gyumri reveals problems with Russian military base

The lack of complete information about the investigation into the murder of Julietta Gukasyan, a resident of Gyumri, and the detention of a Russian soldier intensified the protest mood of citizens dissatisfied with the proximity to the military base. The local residents recalled other incidents involving Russian soldiers and suggested tightening control over them.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on December 3, a 57-year-old resident of Gyumri, who was sweeping the street, was hospitalized with injuries and died. A soldier from the Russian military base was arrested on suspicion of committing a crime, reported the General Prosecutor's Office of Armenia.

The information about the investigation is kept secret, since the law enforcement bodies "do not want to excite the society once again" in order to avoid aggravating relations with Russia, believes Zhanna Aleksanyan, the head of the NGO "Journalists for Human Rights".

Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Civil Initiative, believes that the Russian authorities ignore the problem of military discipline in Gyumri.

Levon Barsegyan, a member of the Gyumri Council of Elders and the head of the local "Asparez" journalist club, suggested that in case of new incidents involving Russian soldiers, residents of Gyumri would want to "drive them out of the city."

Meanwhile, Anait Gukasyan, a daughter of the deceased woman, does not believe in the version that her mother died because of the actions of a Russian soldier.