Russian Soldier Convicted in Gyumri Woman’s Death Released From Armenian Prison, Family Turns to European Court
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A Russian serviceman convicted in the fatal beating of a woman in Armenia’s second-largest city of Gyumri has been released from prison after serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, bringing renewed attention to a case that has long raised concerns about accountability involving personnel stationed at Russia’s military base in Armenia.
According to his attorney, Andrey Razgildeyev, a serviceman of Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, was released in recent days after completing the sentence imposed by an Armenian court for the death of 57-year-old Julieta Ghukasyan.
The case dates back to December 2018, when Ghukasyan was brutally assaulted while walking to work in Gyumri’s Slabotka district. She suffered severe head injuries and died shortly afterward. Before her death, Ghukasyan was reportedly able to identify her attacker.
Initially, Armenian authorities announced that a 23-year-old serviceman from Russia’s 102nd Military Base had been charged with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm that resulted in death through negligence. The suspect was arrested eight days after the attack. At the time, questions emerged over where he was being held, with reports suggesting he was detained on the territory of the Russian military base.
The victim’s daughter, Anahit Ghukasyan, was recognized as the legal successor in the case and was represented by lawyers from the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, one of Armenia’s leading human rights organizations.
After years of legal proceedings, an Armenian court in November 2025 sentenced Razgildeyev to seven years and six months in prison. Prosecutors had sought an eight-year sentence. Throughout the investigation and trial, the Russian serviceman denied responsibility, insisting that neither the evidence nor the court proceedings had proven his guilt.
The case remained under public scrutiny due to its lengthy judicial process and the involvement of a serviceman from Russia’s military contingent in Armenia. According to attorneys representing the victim’s family, Razgildeyev participated in court hearings remotely from the Russian military base, while the nearly seven-year proceedings were marked by what they described as serious procedural violations.
The family challenged the outcome through Armenia’s appellate courts, but both the Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation declined to review the case.
With all domestic legal avenues exhausted, the victim’s representatives say they are now preparing to bring the case before the European Court of Human Rights.
Attorney Ani Chatinyan told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Armenian Service that the family hopes the Strasbourg-based court will examine whether the investigation and judicial proceedings met international standards and whether the victim’s relatives received effective access to justice.
The release of Razgildeyev closes one chapter in a case that has remained a symbol for many Armenians of the broader questions surrounding accountability, transparency, and legal oversight in cases involving foreign military personnel stationed on Armenian soil.
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