New Details from the 'Elite' Military Unit: Results of the Investigative inquiry by the Defense Army

“The ‘elite’ military unit of Artsakh, the children of high-ranking officials, and the incidents of ‘suicide’: intriguing details.” Some time ago, Auroranews conducted an investigation with such a headline, presenting what is happening in one of the military units in Artsakh.

The publication of the article caused a huge uproar among the public and the leadership of the country, followed by numerous dismissals of high-ranking officials in the Armed Forces.

Tert.am has learned that a conflict occurred between Vahram Avagyan and his fellow servicemen in the smokehouse, and then on the way to the shooting range, during which a soldier’s death took place.

According to the data obtained from the investigatory inquiry, the shots fired by private Vahram Avagyan towards the observation post were likely aimed at private K. Gasparyan, who maintained close relations with private David Arakelyan Movsisyan, an accused in the case, and may have been involved in the argument in the smokehouse.

The inquiry claims that the circumstances of the incident were influenced by the prevailing situation in the military unit and subunit, particularly that the commander of the unit, Colonel N. Mkrtchyan, had not adequately grasped the psychological and moral atmosphere in the unit (having taken command in August 2019), had not drawn conclusions from similar previous incidents in the Armed Forces, and had not taken consistent actions on several problematic issues repeatedly raised by the deputy commander of the unit regarding the situation in two reactive artillery divisions (RHD).

The deputy commander of the unit’s psychological support, Lieutenant Colonel G. Arzangulyan, did not fulfill his duties, confusingly failed to delve into the problems within the RHD, and had done little to address the troubled issues, or had acted ineffectively. He addressed the morale and informal relations within the RHD superficially, despite the suicide of an officer and a case of disobedience recorded in that subdivision last year.

It has also become clear from the results of the investigatory inquiry that indifference has been displayed towards soldiers with privileged statuses within the unit. The personnel was left to their own devices, and interpersonal non-statutory relations prevailed within the subdivision, with the existence of soldiers with privileged statuses. A general atmosphere of indifference prevailed, ignoring the unhealthy environment, and the requirements of the superior commands were not fulfilled.

A mitigating circumstance considered in the actions of officials has been the recent appointment of the deputy commander of the division’s psychological support on January 24, while there are no mitigating circumstances for other officials; however, there are aggravating circumstances regarding the actions of the deputy chief of staff, the commander of the subunit, the commander of the second reactive artillery division, and the deputy chief of the RHD, particularly concerning the failure to draw valid conclusions from similar previous incidents in the military and the improper execution of the orders from the Minister of Defense, the Chief of General Staff of the RA Armed Forces, and the commander of the Defense Army.

The investigatory inquiry has established that the incident occurred due to the non-statutory interpersonal relationships among the personnel, the improper execution of their responsibilities by the commanders of the military unit and subdivision, and failure to draw conclusions from similar incidents.

Private V. Avagyan attempted to take revenge on his fellow servicemen who insulted him before returning from the shooting range to the military unit, where, according to preliminary and as yet unverified data, the clarification of the incident that occurred in the smokehouse that morning was presumably to be continued.

It is likely that Private V. Avagyan, due to indecision or other circumstances not clarified by the investigatory inquiry, did not manage to carry out his intention to the end, and possibly considered his act of firing random shots as a hopeless situation, turning to suicide.

Based on the above, in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, the former commander of the Defense Army ordered the following disciplinary measures:

• To issue a