Russian soldier sentenced to life for Armenian killings

An Armenian court has found a Russian soldier guilty of murder charges and sentenced him to life in prison for the 2015 massacre of seven members of an Armenian family, RFERL reports.

The court in Armenia’s northwestern city of Gyumri issued the verdict and sentence aga inst Russian Army Private Valery Permyakov on August 23.

He was found guilty of all charges against him – including the murder of seven people, a robbery attack, and an attempt to illegally cross the border.

The court did not specify where Permyakov would be imprisoned.

According to some Armenian media reports, Permyakov is likely to serve his sentence in a Russian prison rather than in an Armenian facility.

Permyakov, who had reportedly admitted his guilt, waived his right to make a final statement during closing arguments in his trial on August 19.