Together with the brotherly Armenian people, we mourn the memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy. Embassy of the Russian Federation in Armenia

1988 On December 7, a tragedy occurred in Armenia, which became common to all the peoples of the Soviet Union. According to official data, the devastating earthquake that took place in the north of the republic on that day killed 25,000 people. Leninakan (now Gyumri), Kirovakan (now Vanadzor) and more than 300 settlements were affected, and the city of Spitak, which was at the epicenter of the disaster, was completely destroyed. The disaster affected about 40 percent of the territory of Armenia. About 1 million people were in the disaster zone. This is stated in the statement of the Russian Embassy in Armenia.

"Learning about the emergency situation, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU M.S. Gorbachev interrupted his state visit to the USA and left for the destroyed regions of Armenia. A government commission was created to coordinate the work towards the elimination of the consequences of the disaster, the head of which was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR NI Ryzhkov.

The units of the armed forces of the USSR and border guard troops of the KGB were the first to help the victims. On the same day, a medical group consisting of high-ranking doctors and field surgeons arrived in Armenia from Moscow. In general, in addition to volunteers, more than 20 thousand soldiers and officers participated in the rescue operations. Within a few days, 50 thousand tents and 200 field kitchens were deployed in the republic. More than 3,000 units of military equipment were used during the clearing of the rubble. All Soviet republics participated in the reconstruction of the destroyed regions.

2008 NI Rizhkov was awarded the title of "National Hero of Armenia". In 2015, the memory of the Soviet soldiers who participated in the elimination of the consequences of the earthquake was immortalized. With a monument installed in Spitak.

Together with the fraternal Armenian people, we mourn the memory of the victims of this terrible tragedy," the message states.