Soldiers 2 — Flags at the Yerablur Military Pantheon

Armenia & Karabakh Karabakh war 2020 War dead

Fallen Soldiers Remembered on January 27

January 29, 2026

by

The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

94

YEREVAN (Panorama.am and PanArmenian.net) — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon on Tuesday to pay tribute to fallen soldiers as the country marked for the first time a state-designated remembrance day for those who died defending the homeland.

Families of Armenian soldiers killed in the 2020 war gathered at Yerevan’s Yerablur Military Pantheon early on January 27 to bar Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other senior officials from approaching the graves of their loved ones.

The protest coincided with Armenia’s first official observance of a newly established remembrance day honoring those who died defending the homeland. Pashinyan and other government officials visited the military cemetery as part of official commemorations, prompting objections from grieving families.

Vigen Azatyan, whose son Arman Azatyan was a conscript killed during the 2020 war, said many families came to Yerablur with the same intention.

“We are here to prevent Pashinyan and government officials from approaching our sons’ graves,” the man told reporters.

He said the families oppose the newly designated remembrance day, insisting that September 27, the date marking the outbreak of the 2020 war, should be officially recognized instead.

“For us, September 27 is the real date,” he said. “Why has nothing been adopted at the state level to mark September 27? Is it because Azerbaijan does not allow it?”

Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan paid tribute to all those killed in the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) wars.

Vanetsyan, a former NSS chief, visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon, where he laid flowers at the Call of Artsakh memorial complex to honor all those killed in the Artsakh wars, those buried in Artsakh, as well as the victims of the deadly fuel depot explosion in Stepanakert on September 25, 2023.

Speaking to reporters, Vanetsyan described the day as a painful one for the nation.

“Today is an extremely important and difficult day. I truly wish such a day had never existed in our history,” he said. “We must bow our heads before our fallen heroes and their parents, children, wives, sisters and brothers. They made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their loved ones to the homeland so that we could live and endure.”

Vanetsyan emphasized that Armenia must take every possible step to prevent further losses and secure its future.

The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

Topics: Karabakh war 2020, War dead

MORE FROM Armenia & Karabakh

Ethnic Cleansing Human Rights

Vance Should Bypass Azerbaijan After Its ‘Kangaroo Court’ Sentencings of Armenians

“We must ensure that there are no new victims and that our country can develop in peace and safety,” he added.

The visit also drew sharp criticism from opposition politician Levon Zurabyan, coordinator of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), who accused Pashinyan of hypocrisy and moral cynicism.

“Nikol Pashinyan’s entire persona is embodied in the ‘message’ of today’s official commemoration,” Zurabyan wrote on Facebook.

He stressed that Pashinyan had sacrificed “thousands of lives and the security and dignity of millions” to cling to power and to meet the expectations of foreign actors. He linked the sacrifices to his efforts to avoid accusations of treason and to enable “reconciliation” with Azerbaijan and dialogue with Turkey.

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II celebrated a mass for the fallen soldiers.

A memorial service was held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to mark the occasion.

The ceremony, led by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, took place at the Mother Cathedral in Echmiadzin, the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the church press service reported.

Clergy and worshipers prayed for the repose of souls for those who sacrificed their lives for the homeland, marking the national day of remembrance and reverence for fallen soldiers.

Previous Human Rights Activists Urge Armenian Authorities to Release Body of Murdered Chechen Woman for Burial

Next Dr. Oz Touts Federal Crackdown on Healthcare Fraud by ‘Foreign Influences’ in L.A.

Discover more cities:

Top 5 Articles