Armenia has detained two servicemen from the Russian military base in Gyumri. They are suspected of assaulting Ukrainian citizen Dmytro Samuelenko.
According to the outlet, the Ukrainian contacted Armenia’s law enforcement agencies and said that about a month ago two Russian servicemen beat him in the Ani district of Gyumri.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee said it had launched an investigation into the alleged use of physical force by a group of individuals. A forensic medical examination has also been ordered. A criminal case has been opened against the two Russian servicemen on suspicion of causing minor bodily injuries. Their names have not been disclosed.
The motives for the alleged attack are not yet known.
The outlet also mentions another possible case of violence involving Russian servicemen in Armenia. Human rights defender Artur Sakunts said the organisation he leads received a video in which Russian soldiers beat and humiliate a young man. During the incident, they allegedly told him that “Gyumri is our city, the city of Russian soldiers”.
Sakunts said he had passed the video recording to Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office. At the same time, the Investigative Committee said it had not received any report about the incident.
The Russian military base in Gyumri has been operating since 1995. In 2010, the agreement on its presence in Armenia was extended until 2044. Previously, Russian servicemen accused of crimes on the country’s territory were held during investigations and court proceedings at the Russian base rather than under the supervision of Armenian law enforcement.
In particular, Russian serviceman Valery Permyakov, convicted of murdering seven members of an Armenian family in Gyumri in 2015, was initially held at the base and was later transferred to Russia to serve a life sentence.
Russia has maintained a military presence in Armenia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The 102nd military base, where several thousand servicemen are stationed, was established in Gyumri under an intergovernmental agreement signed by Russia and Armenia in 1995.
The future of the Russian base recently became the subject of discussion between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
On 1 September, Putin said Russia was ready to withdraw the military base “even tomorrow” if Armenia no longer wanted its presence. In response, Pashinyan noted that Yerevan had never raised the issue of withdrawing the base, but would not object if Moscow itself decided to pull out its troops. He also stressed that the presence of the Russian base is not of vital importance for Armenia.