Charges Filed Against High-Ranking Officer Who Held Command During War

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has announced that, as part of a large-scale investigation within the Military Investigative Main Department's particularly important cases division, significant findings have emerged regarding a senior officer.

On January 19, 2022, Colonel V.Y., the commander of a defense sector of the Artsakh Republic's Defense Army, has been charged under parts 3 of article 364 and part 1 of article 376 of the Armenian Criminal Code. These charges are in relation to his actions taken during the state of martial law declared by the Armenian government on September 27, 2020, amidst the aggressive war unleashed by the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan against the Artsakh Republic.

Specifically, it has been established that between October 10 and 13, 2020, Colonel V.Y. refused to fulfill certain military service duties as the commander of a battalion, an act that was accompanied by a de facto suspension of these duties, as well as a negligent attitude towards military service responsibilities.

The pretrial investigation continues.