Why was the entry of the victorious generals of Artsakh prohibited at the command post? Tigran Abrahamyan

The former commander of the Armed Forces, Movses Hakobyan, discussed topics in a press conference today that could be pivotal for the military-political leadership of Armenia and Artsakh. This was reported on the Facebook page of Tigran Abrahamyan, head of the analytical center "Henaket" and former advisor to the President of Artsakh on security issues.

"This was particularly emphasized in the context of the well-known events of 2018 and the war that broke out on September 27. These revelations indicate that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan not only needs to resign quickly but also should face legal accountability. It is clear that after this press conference, attempts will be made to manipulate the legal system against Movses Hakobyan, to start a smear campaign, etc., but there are facts that will be difficult to deny.

When the press reported that Pashinyan's wife, Ms. Anna, was at the command post of the Armed Forces during the initial stages of the war, I did not respond in any way. When this information circulated in Artsakh during the war, I remained silent, waiting for public comments from people who had been on-site. The same press also reported that Pashinyan prohibited well-respected generals who had gone through the glorious path of war from entering the command post. Today, at his press conference, former commander of the Armed Forces and former Chief of Staff, General-Major Movses Hakobyan, confirmed this information.

Nikol, a question: what was Ms. Anna doing in that bunker, with what status, for what purpose, and why was the entry of the victorious Artsakh generals into the command post prohibited? Second, Movses Hakobyan claims that on the third day of the war, Prime Minister Pashinyan ordered the armed forces to halt troop reinforcements. The question is, why, and for what purpose? Moreover, he mentions that there is an audio recording of this command.

"They cannot deny it because officials responsible for this process know that the time will come, and they must answer for not performing this function, so the conversation was recorded," he stated. According to him, instead of reinforcements, volunteer units were sent to Artsakh, which faced issues related to equipment, weapons, and ammunition—implying that these issues should have been resolved in Armenia before arriving in Artsakh, while there were no such problems with the Armed Forces.

General Hakobyan elaborated on my earlier inquiry to the NSS regarding the statement from the President of Artsakh that the elite division of the NSS fled. Confirming that this division did not carry out its orders, the general noted that this division is designed to solve other problems based on its functions, indirectly justifying its behavior in that situation.

Hakobyan stated that since the 2016 procurement plan was approved, changes were made after the well-known events of 2018, and the procurement of certain types of weapons crucial for us in this war has either been reduced or completely removed. The most vivid example is the reduction of two regiments of air defense TOR systems, which were supposed to cover the southern and northern areas of the Armed Forces and effectively combat drones, which posed a significant issue for us during this war.

By the way, another piece of information circulating in the press has been confirmed: according to Hakobyan, the SU-30s are without ammunition, and it was unclear why Pashinyan expressed enthusiasm when stating that they were already on combat duty in the Armenian airspace. According to him, they acquired SU-30 SM, ZO-23-2, and OSA-AK systems, but none of them have fired. The question arises, why were the SU-30 aircraft purchased or why have they been without ammunition for so long?

Moreover, the general also pointed out that he considered the purchase of the OSA-AK air defense systems a mistake and had informed about it in due time, given the significant issues with spare parts and missiles, which are no longer produced. The former Chief of Staff also noted that in the last two years, the tactical circle has been reduced while the administrative staff, so to speak, has increased—noting that the staffing table of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff has nearly doubled, while the regiment-level framework has been reduced: "The order is very bad—00038, it was a highly confidential order. The tactical level has been reduced, starting from the battalion, all the way to brigades. Five brigades, which had an entire officer corps with artillery, communication tools, everything except soldiers, have been reduced."

The question remains, why were our military units, meant for defense, reduced, and what tasks are assigned to the increased positions for the administrative staff of the MoD and GS? It also became evident that a false COVID-19 response was given to isolate Movses Hakobyan and prevent him from going to Artsakh, which was later denied by another medical facility.

Movses Hakobyan harshly criticized the information policy during the war, stating that false information had been provided to the public regarding the situation.