National Security Service Reveals State Treason by Former High-Ranking Military Officer

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, in a continuous and effective fight against intelligence activities directed at the territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia by the special services of foreign countries, has uncovered a case of state treason committed by a former high-ranking military officer through a series of combined operational and investigative actions, as reported by the NSS.

Specifically, during the preliminary investigation of a criminal case initiated and being investigated by the NSS investigative department, numerous and effective investigative and other procedural actions were undertaken, alongside parallel operational measures, resulting in a sufficient collection of evidence. It was established that a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, having served in the armed forces and holding responsible positions over various years under a relevant order from the Minister of Defense, collected information containing state secrets for the purpose of transferring it to representatives of a foreign organization and provided assistance for hostile activities detrimental to the territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia.

The accused individual in the criminal case, while located in the territory of Georgia, came under the radar of Azerbaijani intelligence services operating in that country. Recruited by those intelligence officers, he received specific assignments related to acquiring information on the external security, armed forces, and weapons of Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia, including details about army personnel, arms, ammunition, and military equipment quantities and types, military units and their command structures, defensive areas, engineering structures, and equipment, thereby engaging in espionage against the external security of the Republic of Armenia.

Afterward, this individual began collecting such information, having long served in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, officially possessing access to state and service secrets, bearing responsibility for their leakage. He was aware that leaking this information would harm the country's security, so he collected and kept information comprising state secrets about combat equipment and weaponry, including tanks, batteries, fortification means, high-priority targets, as well as details regarding personnel serving in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia and those registered in the reserve. Moreover, utilizing his relationships within the Armed Forces of Armenia and the officer corps of Artsakh, he frequently met with them and expressed interest in specific operations carried out by their units, ultimately gathering information. Subsequently, he traveled to Georgia from the Republic of Armenia, where he met and had numerous phone conversations with employees of the Azerbaijani intelligence services both within and outside the Azerbaijani embassy, gradually providing and revealing state secrets he had gathered.

For these criminal actions, a decision was made to charge the aforementioned individual under Article 299, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code, and arrest was chosen as a measure of constraint. It is noteworthy that as a result of urgent investigative actions undertaken during the preliminary investigation, including over ten searches, a significant amount of military ammunition, such as grenades, explosives, and cartridges, were discovered and confiscated from the accused's residence or auxiliary buildings, along with documents containing state secrets related to combat equipment and weaponry, including tanks, batteries, fortification means, high-priority targets, some of which are rare originals.

Additionally, the search of the accused's residence uncovered radio communication devices intended for intelligence activities, means of communication, and notebooks containing information about phone numbers designated for contacting Azerbaijani special services.

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia is consistently fighting against the unveiling, prevention, and obstruction of espionage activities conducted by the special services of foreign countries and other organizations, as well as individuals, and will continue to undertake effective measures aimed at protecting the safety of individuals, society, and the state, constitutional order, and the rights and freedoms of citizens from internal and external threats. At the same time, the National Security Service expects broad societal engagement in this process, encouraging the public to report any information related to state treason or espionage to the governmental authorities, in support of the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.