One of the Most Controversial Episodes Was the Dismissal of the Commander of the Jebrail Unit at the Hottest Moment of Events - Abrahamyan

One of the most controversial episodes of the military operations in southern Artsakh was the dismissal of the commander of the Jrakan (Jebrail) unit at the hottest moment of the events. This was stated by Tigran Abrahamyan, head of the "Horizon" analytical center, on his Facebook page.

“The aim, as became clear later, was an unsuccessful attempt to blame the failure in that direction on him. During those days, the propaganda machine of the authorities spread the most shameless lies, not only in the context of ‘liberating’ Getashen and Shahumyan but also quickly designating scapegoats during any failure and directing the masses against them. Days after the commander of the unit was dismissed, following intense battles between Azerbaijani forces and our servicemen in the area, the fate of the unit's chief of staff is unknown; he is among those reported missing. Those who last saw him noted that the chief of staff could not come to terms with the unit falling under Azerbaijani control and fought till the end. This means that during the initial phase of the war, the commander of the unit was removed from the game ‘from above,’ as the state propaganda of that period demanded, and days later, after intense battles, his chief of staff: in short, the unit was ‘decapitated.’

Later, for the same political motivations, individuals were brought into play who caused significant losses to the army's reserves as a result of an unsuccessful, unrealistic operation. I had a professional relationship with the former commander of that unit before the war; he always left a good impression, a dedicated military man. Certainly, he may have made mistakes, but I have not heard of any issue that would necessitate his removal from the ranks. I assume that the operation was planned and carried out from the Republic of Armenia for specific political purposes.

Since the war, I have not seen him, do not know where he is, or what he is doing. I only know that there are no charges against him, no legal process is underway, so he is clean. Even if politically motivated processes are initiated, I do not believe there is grounds to bring criminal charges against him. In short, this war has yet to answer many questions, but the time will come when it will become clearer who, under what circumstances, and how contributed to turning that front into chaos and initiating our defeat,” wrote Abrahamyan.