GYUMRI. – Speaking with reporters in Gyumri city on Thursday, the Prosecutor General of Armenia, Gevorg Kostanyan, did not give a clear answer to the query on whether the Armenian or the Russian agencies will conduct the investigation of the case into Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who stands accused in Monday’s brutal killing of the Avetisyan family members in Gyumri.

Kostanyan solely stressed that Permyakov will remain in Armenia over the course of the investigation and the trial.

He added that the Russian soldier will be kept in Armenia also during the pre-litigation process, but he did not specify whether he will remain in custody in the Russian military base in Gyumri.

The attorney general also did not give a clear response to the question regarding in which country Permyakov will serve his prison term, and he noted that this, “is not a key issue, and it’s too early to speak about it.”

Six members of the Avetisyan family—including a two-year-old girl—were shot dead, and a six-month-old baby boy was wounded in their house in Gyumri on Monday. Valery Permyakov, a serviceman of the 102nd Russian Military Base in the city, stands accused in this crime. Permyakov was apprehended by the Russian border guards near the Armenian-Turkish border, and he was arrested on Wednesday.