Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan revealed on Thursday that thousands of weapons distributed by the Armenian government to civilians during the 2020 conflict with Azerbaijan are still unaccounted for. This statement comes amid a notable surge in gun violence across Armenia.
According to official data, there have been 68 incidents involving armed robberies, shootouts, and other firearm-related crimes in the first eight months of this year, marking a nearly 55 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Prosecutor-General Anna Vardapetyan expressed grave concern about these statistics during a recent cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
Pashinyan pointed out that a substantial number of weapons remain missing since the 44-day war in 2020. He mentioned instructing Interior Minister Vahe Ghazaryan to develop “new methods” to locate and confiscate these weapons. However, he did not provide details on what those methods might entail or clarify why the government has struggled to trace the firearms it had distributed to volunteers and mobilized citizens who fought in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Earlier this year, Ghazaryan stated that around 17,000 assault rifles had “disappeared” during and after the war. The Interior Ministry later announced that law enforcement had identified the “site” where many of these weapons are located, though it did not provide specific numbers or confirm whether any firearms had been recovered. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Armenian Service reached out to the ministry on Thursday for further details but has not yet received a response.
While Pashinyan has emphasized that his government is effectively reforming Armenia’s law enforcement agencies with support from the European Union and the United States, some critics remain skeptical. In July, Daniel Yoannisyian, a well-known civic activist, argued that the Armenian police have become less competent and efficient in recent years. Citing research by his organization, the Union of Informed Citizens (UIC), based on police data, Yoannisyian noted that only one in four murder suspects in Armenia has faced trial.
