Suicides in Armenia's military: the statistics and debate over who should be held responsible
Suicides in Armenia’s army: statistics
In Armenia, debate continues over the causes of military deaths in peacetime and who should bear responsibility. A series of suicides has prompted the latest discussions. The first incident occurred on 21 July. Then, on 13 August, the Defence Ministry reported that it had found the body of serviceman Grigor Zakaryan with a gunshot wound. In both cases, the Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal proceedings under the article on negligent incitement to suicide.
According to the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, this was the 31st military death in Armenia in 2026. However, the Defence Ministry says 11 servicemen have died. Moreover, the ministry’s spokesperson said the number of military deaths had become the subject of various forms of manipulation.
“We often see reports in the press about 30 deaths in the army over the course of a year. But no one says how many of those 30 cases actually occurred in the army, which were related to military service and which were not. Even if the deaths were related to service, were all of them murders and suicides?” Aram Torosyan said, calling for greater precision.
Government bodies and civil society organisations also differ over who should bear responsibility for military deaths. Human rights groups tend to argue that the defence minister and the chief of the General Staff should be held accountable. However, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan does not share this view.
“In my assessment, it is not the case that the chief of the General Staff and the defence minister are failing to make sufficient efforts to address this issue,” Nikol Pashinyan said.
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Civil society data differs from official figures
Human rights activist Nazeli Movsesyan, who represents the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, said she had seen no positive changes. According to her, the number of military deaths in non-combat situations has not decreased:
“The situation is even worse than in 2025. There were 35 deaths throughout 2025, while there have already been 31 cases in the first eight months of this year.”
She stressed that 10 cases in 2025 were classified as related to military service, while the same number have been recorded in just eight months this year.
Defence Ministry spokesman Aram Torosyan says these claims do not match the official statistics.
“We have recorded 11 deaths this year. Only five of those who died were serving their mandatory military service. Some died from illness, while others died in a mine explosion,” he said.
Torosyan said six of the 11 deaths involved suicide or incitement to suicide, but only three were related to military service.
Commenting on last year’s figures, he stressed that there were no cases of murder in the army in 2025.
Causes of suicides in the army
The authorities have not released details about the death of serviceman Grigor Zakaryan. However, the prime minister said that 85-90% of suicides in the army result from:
- gambling addiction and the debts it causes;
- personal and family problems;
- servicemen falling asleep while on duty, which can lead to conflicts with fellow soldiers.
“If a serviceman on duty at a border post falls asleep, he puts other people’s lives at risk. Soldiers then begin to treat the person who fell asleep at the post negatively, and he becomes isolated. After returning from combat duty, psychological pressure can also follow. We should not place all the blame on the army leadership. I am responsible for the fact that we have still not found a solution to this problem,” Pashinyan said.
Human rights activist Nazeli Movsesyan believes that the first two causes mentioned by the prime minister have nothing to do with the army. At the same time, she believes authorities can eliminate the third factor by taking systemic measures:
“Why does a serviceman fall asleep while on duty? Are there enough personnel to ensure that everyone gets enough rest and does not feel the need to sleep while on duty?”
Prime minister’s statements and dismissals
On the day the soldier died, Nikol Pashinyan told reporters that the government had discussed the situation and decided to make dismissals. He announced personnel changes in the Military Police and the Defence Ministry’s Department of Moral and Psychological Support:
“We will analyse in detail why our efforts in this area are not producing the desired results and draw conclusions. Yes, there must be individual accountability.”
The same day, reports emerged that Military Police chief Ashot Zakaryan had submitted his resignation. Today, the president dismissed Zakaryan from the post he had held for six years. In another decree, Major General Aram Hovhannisyan was appointed to replace him. From 2023 to 2025, he served as deputy interior minister and police chief.
There are no specific details yet about personnel changes in the Department of Moral and Psychological Support.
In recent days, the Defence Ministry has reported consultations on organising psychological support in the armed forces. To review a report on the psychological assistance provided to the military, the defence minister met professors from Yerevan State University’s Research Centre for Psychology. The ministry is also holding discussions with conscript sergeants and officers serving on duty at military posts.
“The agenda includes issues related to preventing hazing and eliminating inappropriate behaviour in the army,” the ministry said.
Comment
Human rights activist Zhanna Aleksanyan believes:
“The army’s top command, led by Suren Papikyan, must give the public a detailed explanation of the series of deaths.
Has anyone from the army’s top command visited the military unit to establish the circumstances of the soldier’s death and find out what was happening there? I strongly doubt it.
Papikyan did not even visit the military unit in the village of Azat when 15 servicemen died.
On 19 January 2023, a fire broke out in the engineering and sapper company’s premises in the village of Azat, killing 15 servicemen. Three others suffered burns of varying severity.
Then, as now, Nikol Pashinyan spoke on Papikyan’s behalf. He named those responsible and accountable. But he did not explain what the Military Police had to do with the death.
If Pashinyan knows more about the situation in the army and at military units, why is Papikyan still the defence minister?”
Suicides in Armenia’s army: statistics
