Valery Pavlovich Permyakov was born in 1996 in Baley, a town located in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. He was raised in a large religious household; his parents were members of an Evangelical Christian community. His father worked as a refrigerator repair technician and also served as a pastor, while his mother was a homemaker. Permyakov had several siblings, including an older brother who had previously been convicted of a violent crime, and multiple sisters from his father’s earlier marriage. Members of his extended family resided outside Russia, including relatives in the United States.

Permyakov completed nine years of secondary education in Baley before being conscripted into the Russian Armed Forces in May 2014. There was no documented history of violent behavior prior to his military service. According to later media reports, questions were raised regarding his mental fitness for service, with Russian military sources suggesting after the crime that he may have suffered from intellectual disability and should not have been drafted.

In December 2014, Permyakov was transferred from Chita to the Russian 102nd Military Base stationed in Gyumri, Armenia, where he served in a tank battalion. Fellow soldiers described him as quiet and unremarkable, and no disciplinary issues were officially recorded during his brief service period. Less than six weeks after his arrival in Armenia, Permyakov deserted his post, setting in motion one of the most shocking crimes in modern Armenian history.

In the early hours of January 12, 2015, seven members of the Avetisyan family were brutally murdered inside their home in Gyumri, Armenia. The victims were Seryozha Karapeti Avetisyan (born 1961), his wife Hasmik Rafiki Avetisyan (born 1959), their daughter Aida Seryozhahi Avetisyan (born 1979), their son Armen Seryozhahi Avetisyan (born 1981), Armen’s wife Araks Avetisyan (born 1990), and their two children, Hasmik Armeni Avetisyan (born 2012) and six‑month‑old Seryozha Armeni Avetisyan, who initially survived the attack but later died from his injuries on January 19, 2015.

Investigators determined that Valery Permyakov had deserted the Russian 102nd Military Base and entered the Avetisyan residence during the night. Armed with a military‑issued firearm and a knife, he shot multiple family members and stabbed others. Evidence later showed that he left behind his uniform and weapon at the crime scene. According to his confession, Permyakov stated that he entered the house because he wanted water, though the court rejected this explanation as insufficient to mitigate responsibility for the killings.

The murders were discovered later that morning, prompting an immediate nationwide manhunt. Permyakov attempted to flee Armenia and was apprehended approximately 16 kilometers from Gyumri near the Turkish border by Russian border guards. He was transferred to custody at the Russian military base, where he confessed to the killings on the same day.

Jurisdiction over the case became a major political and legal controversy. Initially, Russian authorities claimed jurisdiction due to Permyakov’s status as an active-duty serviceman, leading to widespread protests across Armenia. Demonstrations erupted in Gyumri and Yerevan, with thousands demanding that Permyakov be tried under Armenian law and serve his sentence in Armenia. Clashes between protesters and police occurred near the Russian consulate, resulting in injuries and multiple arrests.

Despite early resistance, Armenian prosecutors formally charged Permyakov with multiple counts of murder. In August 2016, an Armenian court convicted him of seven counts of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The verdict was upheld by the Armenian Court of Appeals in December 2016. He was ordered to serve his sentence in Armenia, marking a rare instance of a Russian serviceman being tried and sentenced by an Armenian court.