Open news feed Close news feed
A A

Opinion: Murder of Gyumri family is 'deliberate provocation' (video)

Politics
qandakagorc

The murder of an Armenian family by a Russian soldier could be ‘deliberate provocation,’ rather than a coincidence, says sculptor Andranik Davtyan.

He was born and raised in the same street where the six members of the Avetisyan family were brutally murdered on January 12 allegedly by a Russian soldier serving at a Russian military base in Gyumri.

“Today Azerbaijan is waiting for an opportunity to start a war with Armenia, and I think that Turkey will not sit idle and will do everything to help Azerbaijan. In that case they will seek to remove Russian troops that are guarding Armenia’s border,” said Mr Davtyan. It is not accidental that Valery Permyakov, the Russian soldier who is believed to have killed the Avetisyan family, left traces at the scene of murder and attempted to cross Armenia’s border with Turkey. “The military boots that he [Valery Permyakov] left at Avetisyan’s house clearly show that he wanted to show that the author of the murder was Russian,” said the sculptor.

The brutal murder in Gyumri triggered uproar in different circles over the country’s relations with its closest ally Russia, deepening controversy over the relations between the two countries.

The Avetisyans – two grandparents, their son and daughter, a daughter-in-law, and young Hamsik – were shot dead on 12 January.

A six-month-old boy, Seryozha – in critical condition after suffering stab wounds – is the only survivor. The suspect, Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who was serving at Moscow’s 102nd military base in Gyumri, is said to have confessed to the crime after being apprehended by Russian border guards as he was reportedly attempting to cross into Turkey.