Casualties in the Armenian Armed Forces Under Different Leaders

On January 10, 2020, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted on his Facebook page about an "unprecedented" event: "In 2019, the Armenian Army recorded a historic minimum in casualties (for all reasons). That is, our army has never had fewer casualties than in 2019." Yerevan.Today has examined the statistics from previous years and concluded that Pashinyan's statement was yet another falsehood.

It turns out that the number of casualties due to ceasefire violations in 2019 was 4, a figure that has also been observed in 2008. Moreover, in 2001, there were only 3 casualties. Certainly, every loss is tragic, but we must acknowledge the facts. So, under which leader did Armenia suffer the most casualties at the border?

Yerevan.Today has sent inquiries to the Prosecutor General's Office to determine the number of casualties resulting from ceasefire violations at the borders of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh in various years.

During the presidency of Armenia's first president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan (1991-1997), the estimated number of casualties was approximately 7,000 based on some calculations. It should be noted that from 1991 to 1994, there was the victorious Nagorno-Karabakh War, which claimed the lives of 6,000 of our compatriots. Their blood paid the price for the liberation of Artsakh and the establishment of the Artsakh state. The casualties from those years are not available today from official sources; hence, the calculations are approximations but based on possible credible information.

During the presidency of the second president, Robert Kocharian (1998-2008), the number of casualties in Armenia and Artsakh was recorded at 92, according to official figures.

During the presidency of the third president, Serzh Sargsyan (2008-2018), the nation had 228 combat losses. Of these, 86 occurred during the April War provoked by Azerbaijan. The figures from the other years are almost comparable to those of the second president, Robert Kocharian.

Under Nikol Pashinyan, despite claiming a year ago that the situation was "commendable," combat losses exceeded 5,000, with some expert estimates reaching 7,000. Furthermore, Pashinyan's alleged "unprecedented" figures indeed became unprecedented; we lost our Homeland, which we secured at the cost of more than 6,000 lives and maintained without a large-scale war for 26 years. While the casualties during Levon Ter-Petrosyan's time were understandable due to the war and losses that were imposed upon us, during the 44-day war that began on September 27, 2020, we lost almost everything, including what was liberated in the first war, yielding over 5,000 casualties. It resulted in casualties for nothing, as Prime Minister Pashinyan's wife, Anna Hakobyan, said.

The official figures provided by the Prosecutor’s Office indicate that stability and security were maintained in Armenia and Artsakh during the tenures of the country's second and third presidents. Detailed figures can be found in the infographic.

Source: original source website