Desertion is Occurring and Soldiers are Surrendering Because the Commander of the Corps Who Handed Over Positions Has Been Appointed Chief of Staff: Movses Hakobyan

Former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, in an interview with Oragir.news, responded to a question about why our soldiers are surrendering. He stated, “They are surrendering because, during the April 2018 unrest, no one from the peacekeeping brigade personnel, who violated the law, was punished criminally; they committed desertion and participated in the protests, and their commander has been appointed to a high position. Later, during the 44-day war, the responsible commander of the right wing, whose infamous ‘productions’ by those forces are known to all, was removed from his position. Desertion is occurring and they are surrendering because the commander of the corps who handed over positions has been appointed Chief of Staff. Desertion is occurring and they are surrendering because the Chief of Staff, who has dismantled the army, is being reappointed as Chief of Staff, against whom a criminal case has been opened. They are surrendering because the first Deputy Prime Minister welcomes prisoners at the airport as heroes. I raised this issue last year when the first seven individuals were captured from the forests; it is not permissible to glorify them, and as long as this continues, our nation will be surrendered. Today, there is a governor in Shirak who continuously provides false information regarding the prisoners, saying, ‘Our boys, our heroes...’; the more we glorify them, the more our nation will surrender. The heroes are those who defended 11 positions of the 6th defensive sector, which faced 11 tanks, 10 of which were destroyed; they are indeed the heroes. The heroes are those guys who pushed back three assault groups of 15 tanks from the direction of the 5th defensive sector, Seysulan. The heroes are the guys from the 1st defensive sector, the units of Hadrut, who maintained the defensive sector of Hadrut until the 27th of the month and destroyed dozens of tanks. The heroes are those soldiers from the 2 battalions of the 9th official sector, the units of Jebrayil, who guarded their positions until October 27, while the Turks had already reached the outskirts of Shushi. They are the heroes, not those who surrender,” Hakobyan stated.

He also mentioned that he wanted to initiate a criminal case against the commander who joined Nikol Pashinyan's demonstration, but Pashinyan suspended it.

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