Seyran Ohanyan Left Shushi Without Warning, Leaving Me and the Soldiers Alone: Sisseryan

“There was a generally unclear situation during those days, not only in Shushi. Misinformation was being transmitted from various places. I think the General Staff, under Onik Gasparyan, was either transmitting incorrect or incomplete information to the authorities. I don’t know what the purpose was. They said everything was fine, normal, but the reality on the ground was completely different,” said Serj-Varag Sisseryan, head of the office of former Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan and a volunteer in the 44-day war, in an interview with Radar Armenia.

When asked about the situation in the final days, particularly in Shushi and how the city’s defense was organized, Sisseryan noted, “The number of those fleeing was increasing, but for some reason, that information was not fully passed on to the authorities of the Republic of Armenia. The same situation existed in Shushi. By the 5th and 6th of November, there were very few soldiers and volunteers left in Shushi.”

When asked who, according to Sisseryan, was responsible for the fall of Shushi, he responded: “It would be appropriate to direct that question to Seyran Ohanyan, who was the actual commander of the defense of Shushi at that time. Someone must eventually ask Seyran Ohanyan why he left Shushi on the evening of November 5 without even informing the last stationed groups there. Our connection with the command was severed in a very unclear and strange manner, resulting in about 20-30 of us being left alone. I believe that the day will come when Seyran Ohanyan will have to answer the questions of the soldiers and volunteers abandoned in Shushi.”

In response to a question about the functions of the parliamentary commission investigating the capture of Shushi during the 44-day war, Sisseryan added, “First and foremost, the commission should summon Ohanyan as well as us, the volunteers who were present there, to hear testimonies. As a result, I believe many things will become clear, many circumstances will be revealed and clarified. And if Seyran Ohanyan participates in rallies and delivers patriotic speeches, it would be wise for him to look in the mirror and ask himself why he left us, the dozens of soldiers and volunteers present in Shushi, without warning, and simply ‘fled’ Shushi, appearing unexpectedly in Yerevan. I think he needs to face reality, and before ‘saving’ Artsakh in the squares of Yerevan, he should clearly explain to the public why that salvation effort failed at a moment when it was indeed critical and under his responsibility.”