Deputy Commander of Military Unit Arrested Based on the Complaint of a Fallen Soldier's Father

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office has reported that the deputy commander of a military unit has been arrested based on a criminal case initiated from the complaint of a fallen soldier's father. This was announced in a statement released by the Prosecutor General's Office.

“On December 8, 2020, citizen H. O. addressed the Prosecutor General of Armenia, Arthur Davtyan, informing him that after the declaration of martial law in Armenia and Artsakh, he learned that his son, A. O., a conscript soldier of the engineering-sapper company of the Ministry of Defense’s military unit N, had been transferred to Artsakh. He went to support the military personnel with his personal 'Nissan' vehicle.

He reported that on October 9, 2020, in the Ishkhanadzor area, he witnessed the deputy commander of the military unit issuing an order for the soldiers spread around outside the vehicle to get back in and continue moving, despite the sound of an enemy drone. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle transporting the soldiers was struck by the drone, resulting in the death of his son along with his fellow servicemen.

Upon the instruction of the Prosecutor General, the report was immediately sent through the Military Prosecutor's Office to the Military Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee for examination, and on December 21, a criminal case was launched regarding the incident.

Preliminary investigations have gathered factual data indicating that on October 9, 2020, an order was received from the superior command to transfer the personnel of the military unit, including the engineering-sapper company, from the area of Horadiz in Artsakh to the village of Tili. In the administrative territory of the village of Ishkhanadzor, the deputy commander in charge of combat readiness of the military unit, Lieutenant Colonel A. V., noticing that the 'Ural' vehicle transporting the personnel was stopped and the crew was scattered around it, called in the commander of the engineering-sapper company. After learning that the movement had halted and the personnel had exited the vehicle due to the audible sound of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), while personally hearing the sound of the UAV in the air, he ordered that the personnel should get back in the vehicle and continue the march, stating that the UAV was not their concern but rather that of air defense forces.

The company commander complied with the order, and 19 servicemen boarded the vehicle and moved forward. About five minutes later, the UAV struck the aforementioned vehicle, and due to the resulting fire, 18 soldiers died, leaving only one private soldier surviving, while H. O., who was in a 'Nissan' car traveling in front of the 'Ural', and the head of the engineering-sapper service of the military unit sustained various degrees of injuries.

Based on the evidence gathered, on December 29, 2020, the deputy commander of the military unit, Lieutenant Colonel A. V., was charged with committing a criminal offense as stipulated in the fourth part of Article 375 of the RA Criminal Code.

On the same day, a motion was filed with the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction requesting the detention of the accused as a preventive measure, which was granted.

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office reiterates that it is undertaking all necessary measures to ensure that all data and information regarding apparent criminal manifestations related to events that occurred during the military operations from September 27 to November 9, 2020, are subject to an objective and comprehensive investigation, providing legal assessments and ensuring the inevitability of criminal liability for all individuals who have committed crimes. Regular information will be provided regarding the progress and outcomes of the investigations, considering, of course, the priority interests of the preliminary investigation.