Ioannisyan's Scandalous Statement on the Capture of Hadrut and Hokhikyan's Response

Daniel Ioannisyan, the founder of the 'Informed Citizens' NGO, wrote on his Facebook page yesterday that the number of Azerbaijanis who entered Hadrut was significantly fewer than the troops stationed in the city (noting that he personally participated in reconnaissance).

He stated that Hadrut was captured as a result of the utter incompetence of certain army officials and the General Staff.

Inter-ethnic conflict expert Nairi Hokhikyan responded on his Facebook page by writing: “While military tensions with Armenia's southern neighbor reach their peak, the ruling party is trying to definitively break the backbone of the Armenian army through its spokespersons. A certain Daniel Ioannisyan, with a questionable biography and funded by dubious foreign money, publishes statements that systematically discredit the military personnel. This individual, who justifies all of Nikol Pashinyan's dirty deals and actions, claims that he participated in the reconnaissance during the battles for Hadrut in October 2020, and is convinced that the reason for Hadrut's fall was the poor service of Armenian officers. If the NSS of Armenia is actually concerned about national security, a criminal case should be initiated to determine how this civilian, with no ties to the armed forces and financed by foreign entities, gained access to military intelligence. Who allowed Ioannisyan to participate in discussions containing military secrets? If this man is telling the truth, then both Ioannisyan and the officer who permitted his involvement in the intelligence discussion should be punished criminally. If Ioannisyan is lying (as I believe he is), he should again be held liable for defamation and discrediting the Armenian army. Law enforcement agencies can take my publication as a report of a crime.

At the same time, I regret to note that this man has previously committed actions that have not received appropriate responses from security structures. Let's not forget that in October 2020, Ioannisyan’s sister was isolated by our unit in Stepanakert for suspicious behavior and filming strategic sites. After my publications on the matter, the prosecutor's office took action but later announced that the girl was not aware of what she was doing while filming. During the Azerbaijani aggression in Vardenis and Yeraskh, Ioannisyan surprisingly appeared there and engaged in actions prohibited for civilians. At least that's what he wrote. I do not rule out that he lied. We understand, don’t we, what danger this guy, working with foreign money, poses for our statehood, and how the NSS is turning a blind eye to all of this under influence from above.

I will further address other more specific provocations assigned to Ioannisyan by Pashinyan against the Armenian statehood and the Armenian army.”

Daniel Ioannisyan's visits to the frontline and his publications from there have long raised questions among the public. One question is, in what capacity and through what procedure Ioannisyan receives entry rights to visit the front lines.

Auroranews had officially inquired with the Ministry of Defense on July 20 to understand in what capacity Ioannisyan visits the border, the frontline. In response to our inquiry, the Ministry of Defense stated that in light of the tense situation around Yeraskh, Ioannisyan had not been at the Armenian frontline, while also mentioning that they would be more vigilant about visits to the border.