VIDEO. Unprecedented Case of State Betrayal Uncovered by Organized Group

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has uncovered a case of state betrayal perpetrated by an organized group through persistent and effective efforts to reveal, prevent, and thwart the intelligence activities directed against Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and external security by foreign states' special services.

Specifically, through investigative actions and other legal processes carried out as part of a criminal case initiated and under investigation by the Department of Investigation of the National Security Service of Armenia, sufficient factual data was obtained regarding a former military officer awarded with medals for "Impeccable Service" and "Participation in Combat Operations," who, with another individual holding a friendship relationship and being a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, traveled to the Republic of Turkey under the pretext of seeking employment. There, they came to the attention of Azerbaijani special services, who offered them a recruitment proposal in exchange for material benefits, aiming to act against the territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia.

From that moment on, these individuals, united around the same objective of committing state betrayal, formed stable connections among themselves with unwavering mutual consent, meticulously preparing for the execution of the crime, distributing roles and expected income, planning methods for concealing the crime, establishing means of communication, and determining the volume and significance of the information to be transferred, receiving relevant directives and instructions from Azerbaijani special services.

After the preparatory actions, accompanied by employees of the Azerbaijani special services, the aforementioned individuals traveled from Turkey to another country to meet with high-ranking officials of the Azerbaijani special services to formalize the oral agreement with documentation and receive specific instructions.

While in the territory of the Azerbaijani embassy in a third country, the individuals signed recruitment agreements, giving their signatures and consent to switch sides and act against the Republic of Armenia, after which they received corresponding codenames and funds in advance.

In a bid to operate as secretly as possible and to establish concealed ties with foreign special services, members of the organized group provided their Turkish phone numbers and related information concerning internet applications registered to them.

Subsequently, these individuals maintained regular communication with Azerbaijani special service employees, receiving specific directives and instructions. During this period, they photographed and filmed the military bases of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, the military equipment stationed there, determined the number of soldiers in those military units, provided personal data of the commanding personnel, and gathered information on the deployments of anti-aircraft defense systems of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh and strategic facilities' locations.

As a result, the mentioned activities allowed the enemy to pinpoint the locations of strategically important armaments and military equipment, accurately targeting them, undermining the operational capabilities of the Armenian Armed Forces, and creating favorable conditions for the enemy forces to break through defensive lines in the southern direction and advance deeper into Artsakh.

Continuing their criminal activities, one member of the organized group, with the same intention, photographed and transmitted precise information about the location of one of the anti-aircraft systems based in the deep rear, turning it into a targeted attack focus. Consequently, this enabled the adversary to deliberately attack the target using an unmanned aerial vehicle and obliterate it.

Thus, the members of the organized group switched sides to the enemy and, for the sake of reward, collected, retained, and handed over to representatives of a foreign state state and service secrets, which provided the adversary with an actual opportunity to conduct accurate calculations of forces and means, determine the quantity and deployments of forces involved in execution of tasks in various segments, and create favorable conditions for the enemy for effective targeting during combat operations, thereby hindering the proper execution of the tasks set before the Armed Forces of Artsakh and Armenia, committing state betrayal against the territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia.

Two members of the organized group have been implicated as defendants and have provided self-incriminating testimonies; they have been remanded into custody as a preventive measure. It is noteworthy that during the investigative process, including over a dozen searches, special communication devices intended for military units, mobile phones, videos of military exercises, and other significant items for the case were discovered and seized from the defendants’ residences or auxiliary buildings.

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia is engaged in a vigilant fight against the intelligence activities of foreign states' special services, other organizations, and individual persons, and will continue to undertake effective measures to protect the safety of individuals, society, and the state, constitutional order, and the rights and freedoms of citizens from internal and external threats.

At the same time, the National Security Service announces that state betrayal is classified among particularly serious crimes, and considering its nature and degree of danger to the public, severe penalties have been established by the Legislator for those committing state betrayal, specifically imprisonment for a term of fifteen to twenty years or life imprisonment, with or without the confiscation of property.

Notice: The suspect or accused of the alleged crime shall be considered innocent until proven guilty in the manner prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia, by a court decision that has entered into legal force.