"Strong Armenia": Armenian authorities are attempting to equate the crime of an Azerbaijani soldier in Shaki with an ordinary criminal offense.

ArmInfo. Armenian authorities are attempting to equate the crime committed by an Azerbaijani serviceman in the village of Shaki to a common criminal offense. This was stated by Irina Yolyan, a member of parliament from the Strong Armenia faction, at a briefing with journalists on October 8.

That is, as the MP explained, the enemy's actions are being equated to actions that could take place within Armenia. "There hasn't even been an investigation yet to determine whether what happened was sabotage or the actions of a deserter," Yolyan added.

She also noted that this is not the first such incident in the Syunik region. Specifically, Yolyan recalled the murder of a security guard at the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine (ZCMK) by Azerbaijani servicemen who infiltrated into Armenia in 2024. "This incident alone should have been a signal for the Armenian authorities to increase vigilance. However, the authorities have failed the entire process of ensuring the safety of Armenian citizens and protecting the inviolability of state borders," the opposition leader emphasized.

In turn, Tigran Abrahamyan, Secretary of the Strong Armenia faction, stated that on October 7, during a question-and-answer session in the Armenian parliament, they witnessed how Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with his questions and answers, tried in every way to defend and justify the Azerbaijani serviceman who invaded the territory of the Republic of Armenia and opened fire on members of an Armenian family. "But, in fact, in the end, we managed to get Pashinyan to admit that if this serviceman is brought to criminal responsibility under Armenian law, he does not intend to hand him over to Azerbaijan," Abrahamyan noted.

Reacting to the statement by the Civil Contract faction deputies Abrahamyan expressed regret at the ruling faction's position, stating that what happened in Shaki was an ordinary crime that could happen at the border any day. "For the ruling faction's deputies, this incident is just an ordinary crime. If many agree with this position, then I simply have nothing to add," the MP concluded.

As a reminder, in early October 2026, Nasimi Musayev, a serviceman of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, was detained in Armenia. According to the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan, he left his duty station without permission on September 26, 2026. On September 29, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan notified the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia about the soldier's disappearance and possible border crossing. On October 1, 2026, at approximately 2:15 PM, in the village of Shaki (Syunik Province), a serviceman entered a residential building, opened fire, and wounded a 38-year-old local resident in the leg, also harming her children. She is currently undergoing several surgeries due to the complexity of her injuries. On the same day, Armenian law enforcement detained Nasimi Musayev. An Armenian court ordered his pretrial detention for two months. The Investigative Committee of Armenia has opened a criminal case. He is accused of illegal border crossing, smuggling and illegal arms trafficking, violating the privacy of a home, and causing grievous bodily harm. Following the incident, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan dismissed David Sanamyan, Deputy Director of the National Security Service.

On October 6, in an interview with Infocom, Pashinyan stated: He ruled out exchanging the Azerbaijani criminal for Armenian prisoners held in Baku. He said an agreement had been reached with the Azerbaijani side regarding the return of the soldiers who crossed the border. Pashinyan explained, "If an Armenian serviceman were to end up on Azerbaijani territory tomorrow, they would have no one to exchange him for." The Armenian prime minister also assured that the Azerbaijani serviceman would be held accountable in accordance with Armenian law.