YEREVAN. – Armenian MOD Investigation Department has launched criminal cases for the death and wounding of Armenian military servicemen on Monday, MOD Investigation Department Public Relations Senior Officer Meri Sargsyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.         

The criminal cases are opened on charges of murdering two or more people by way of a method that is life-threatening for many.  

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, an Azerbaijani diversion operation had claimed the lives of three Armenian soldiers and wounded six others—one of whom, an officer—in the early morning hours on Monday.  

The killed soldiers were: Hrach Sargsyan, Zohrab Balabekyan, and Karen Davtyan.

And the wounded military servicemen are: Senior Lieutenant Mushegh Nurbekyan, and conscripts Igit Hovhannisyan, Maxim Melkonyan, Sedrak Shahbazyan, Artak Mnatsakanyan and Koryun Iritsyan. 

And the MOD had issued a statement and noted that on Monday and according to preliminary data, the Azerbaijani side yet again violated the ceasefire at the line of contact between the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and this time in the northeastern sector. It attempted to infiltrate to the Armenian military bases stationed in the direction of Berdavan and Chinari villages of the Tavush Region.   

As a result of the taken measures and the Armenian military servicemen’s courageous operations, however, the diversion advancement was stopped, and the adversary was driven back, giving casualties.  

An investigation is launched, and the Military Prosecutor and MOD special investigation team have headed to the scene of the incident.   

Armenia’s Armed Forces are monitoring the situation at the line of contact. 

And Chinari village prefect Samvel Saghoyan had told Armenian News-NEWS.am that there are no casualties among the local villagers.