Battalion Headquarters Chief Abandons Battlefield: Khtsaberd Village and Positions Fall to Enemy Control

The investigation conducted by the Military Prosecutor's Office of Armenia has revealed that A.G., the chief of staff of the second tank battalion of a military unit, received an order on November 9, 2020, after the acceptance of the trilateral statement on the ceasefire declared by the Republic of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh, to ensure the security of the combat positions in the Khtsaberd village of the Hadrut region.

According to the prosecutor's office, on December 13, 2020, during an unprovoked attack carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces in gross violation of the ceasefire agreement, A.G. failed to execute the direct orders from his superior to move to circular defense. During the unfolding battle, he issued a 'retreat' order to his subordinate personnel, abandoning the battlefield voluntarily, which resulted in severe consequences. The combat positions occupied for the defense of Khtsaberd village fell under the control of the enemy.

Furthermore, it was established that before being assigned to combat duty, A.G. received a working map depicting the terrain of Khtsaberd village, containing state secrets, from a confidential section of his military unit, marked as 'classified.' Due to his voluntary departure from the battlefield and the subsequent capture of the combat position by the enemy, the electronic storage device he possessed fell under enemy control. This device contained information regarding the unit's personnel directory.

A.G. has been charged under the third part of Article 356, the first part of Article 380, and the third part of Article 376 of the Armenian Criminal Code for these actions. The preliminary investigation has been completed, and the prosecutor overseeing the legality of the investigation has confirmed the indictment, sending the case to the court of general jurisdiction in the Syunik region for substantive examination.

Notice: The suspect or accused in the alleged crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the manner prescribed by the Criminal Procedure Code of the Republic of Armenia by a legally binding court verdict.