The National Security Service issued a statement regarding the Azerbaijani serviceman who crossed the RA border, in which it said:
"On February 28, around 05:15, in the area of Tegh community of Syunik marz, servicemen of the RA Ministry of Defense found Ruslan Eldanis-Oghlu Penakhov, a serviceman of the Azerbaijani armed forces who had crossed the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border.
In connection with the incident, criminal proceedings were initiated in the RA Investigative Committee under the relevant articles of the RA Criminal Code. The investigation revealed that the serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who crossed the state border of the Republic of Armenia, ended up near the positions of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia as a result of fleeing and getting lost after the incident between the service members.
As a manifestation of goodwill and in fulfillment of the agreement reached between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan at the highest level, the servicemen of both sides who went astray and ended up on the opposite side should be returned in a short period, the Republic of Armenia has decided to hand over Ruslan Eldanis-Oghlu Penakhov to the Azerbaijani side."