We Were Near Jabrail for 5-6 Days, Received an Unclear Order to Retreat. There Was Not a Single Shot Fired, Says MoD Major

Major Serob Grigoryan of the Ministry of Defense spoke at a press conference today, detailing a series of injustices he faced during his service. According to reports from Tert.am, he noted that on October 3, 2020, he wrote a report requesting urgent participation in combat operations. On October 9, he was informed that he would be allowed to leave and would serve as a commander if a volunteer squad were formed to engage in combat.

On October 11, Grigoryan was appointed as the deputy commander of the squad. “The squad was taken to an unfamiliar location, which later turned out to be near Jabrail. We stayed there for 5-6 days, and on the 6th day, we received an order to retreat. According to the order, the troops retreated, and no one welcomed us or did anything,” he stated, adding that after returning, he started addressing his reintegration into work, but encountered problems.

He also mentioned that it was unlawful to appoint someone to a lower position without the individual’s consent. “What I wanted was a service investigation to clarify if I was guilty of anything; I was ready to remove my ‘epaulettes’ and be discharged,” he emphasized.

“I returned to the military commissariat, and it was revealed that I was sent as a mobilization officer. An official notice of service noncompliance was sent to the Republican military commissariat stating that I did not meet the requirements of my position. I learned about this in December when I began dealing with my affairs regarding my return to my place of service. I reached out to the MoD, but no one has replied. The issue is that since the military commissar of Armavir Province, Colonel Gagik Khachatryan, does not want me to serve under him, it seems I cannot serve at all. Why he doesn’t want me there, I do not know,” Grigoryan said, noting that he had had some conflicts with Colonel Khachatryan, which, according to him, served as a motive for revenge.

He also recounted his experiences during combat operations. “During those 5-6 days I was in the battlefield, I didn’t see anything good. In the direction where I was, we were standing 300-500 meters from the Turks, and there wasn’t even a single shot fired. Perhaps once or twice a day, our side would drop five shells, and they would do the same. The order to retreat was incomprehensible to all of us. If there had been fighting, even 10-15 kilometers away, we would have heard those sounds, but we didn’t even hear those sounds. After retreating 60-70 kilometers, no one welcomed us; we returned and started looking for our higher command to find out what we should do, which did not happen. There was a war, an 18-year-old soldier fought, who was caught off guard. The mobilization was stranded; people were approaching, saying, ‘Major, give us a command,’” said Serob Grigoryan.