The Embassy of Ukraine in Armenia has expressed condolences on the death of 15 Armenian soldiers.

"On behalf of the Embassy of Ukraine, we express our deepest condolences for the tragedy of January 19, 2023, which took the lives of 15 Armenian servicemen. We share the pain of this irreparable loss. We wish the injured a speedy recovery," the embassy of Ukraine wrote on Facebook.

At around 1:30am on Thursday, a fire broke out in the accommodation of the engineer-sapper troop of the military unit located in the territory of Azat village of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. Fifteen servicemen have died as a result of this fire, and seven others were injured. Four of the latter were discharged from hospital after receiving medical treatment, whereas three others were transferred to the National Center of Burns and Dermatology in capital Yerevan.

Immediately after the incident, the commander of the 2nd Army Corps and seven other high-ranking military personnel were relieved of their positions.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the government that an officer had poured gasoline in the stove of the aforesaid accommodation. After which, when the fire had gotten to him, he had thrown—with a self-protective instinct—the 5-liter can of gasoline in his hand towards the accommodation, and this had caused the fire.

Criminal proceedings have been launched into this incident.