Ministry of Defense Colonels at the Center of a Scandalous Incident
Yesterday, Ria.ru reported that the Russian ORSIS arms manufacturing company has sued the Ministry of Defense of Armenia for a failed tender. The tender reportedly concerns the production of ammunition.
The issue gained wide media coverage and sparked significant reactions, including political overtones. Many see this as yet another instance of Armenian-Russian tensions, among other interpretations.
The newspaper 'Haykakan Jramanak' further investigated the situation and conducted a small journalistic inquiry. It turns out that the problem began not with the Russian ORSIS company, which is part of the 'Promtehnologii' concern, but with the representatives of that company in Armenia. We attempted to locate this company; it became clear that in the Armenian electronic registry, there exists a company named 'Orsis Arms' LLC, which was registered in 2017.
The founders of this company are Arthur Galstyan and Gevorg Manukyan. After a brief study, it was revealed that both individuals are high-ranking military officers in the Armed Forces of Armenia, colonels. The first is an active colonel, while the second is a reserve officer.
Interestingly, the active colonel has suspended his involvement in the company following this scandal. However, it is evident that there is a conflict of interest and an unclear situation at play. A high-ranking military officer is creating a company that supplies weapons and ammunition to the military.