Consequences Will Be Severe: Prosecutor's Office Issues Warning

The RA Prosecutor General's Office has studied the current state of investigations regarding the disastrous consequences of the aggressive war unleashed by the Azerbaijani military-political leadership and armed forces during the period from September to November 2020, as well as incidents of state treason against the defense capabilities of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh during the post-war period.

It has been revealed through the examination of criminal cases related to state treason that in all instances, citizens of the Republic of Armenia have come under the scrutiny of Azerbaijani special service operatives. They accepted offers from these operatives in exchange for material benefits, to the detriment of the territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, engaging in criminal activities and providing information that constitutes state secrets regarding the deployment and types of armed forces, armaments, and military equipment.

As a result, during the war, the adversary was able to conduct precise calculations of the resources of the Armenian Armed Forces, clarify the quantity of certain forces and means, and determine their occupied positions, as well as the possible volumes and nature of tasks to be carried out by individual military units. This allowed for targeted strikes against the military equipment and personnel of the Armenian Armed Forces, causing significant losses.

The study indicates that foreign special service operatives have recruited citizens of the Republic of Armenia primarily through two methods. In the early stages, they mainly implemented recruitment tactics targeting Armenian citizens located in the Republic of Turkey, as well as in any third country. Later, the operatives began recruiting RA citizens using internet communication tools.

Specifically, they created personal accounts on various social networks such as Facebook, TikTok, and Odnoklassniki using the personal data of Armenian women, targeting the owners of accounts that contained information related to military uniforms or other military service connections.

After establishing contact with these individuals through messaging applications such as Messenger and WhatsApp, following some personal exchanges, they disclosed their affiliation with special services and offered to recruit these individuals for compensation in exchange for strategic, state, or service-related information regarding the Armenian Armed Forces and other strategically significant structures.

In some cases, military personnel unaware of the status of their online contacts shared state and service confidential information with them during intimate conversations, in an effort to charm them and maintain ongoing communication.

Moreover, the interactions with recruited citizens transitioned from the online sphere to real life. According to current factual data, meetings between foreign special service operatives and recruited RA citizens were mainly organized in Turkey, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The RA Prosecutor General's Office finds it necessary to warn against participation in such actions, which are absolutely unacceptable from both a legal and moral perspective, and encourages individuals to immediately report any offers to provide similar information to law enforcement agencies when contacted by unknown individuals.

At the same time, military personnel are cautioned to avoid taking photographs that could indicate their location, especially within military units, and refrain from taking pictures or posting on social media with military equipment or ammunition being received, as this could not only enable the adversary to perform relevant analyses but also target specific individuals in order to establish contact, recruit them, and obtain information of interest.

In the event that criminal offenses are confirmed, the prosecutor's office will adopt a particularly tough and principled approach regarding the prosecution of those responsible. The RA Prosecutor General has submitted a proposal to the Minister of Defense to eliminate several conditions and causes that contribute to the aforementioned crimes.

Currently, the National Security Service's investigation department is examining 10 criminal cases related to state treason incidents taking place during the 44-day war that began on September 27, 2020, with 43 individuals implicated as defendants, 10 of whom are in detention. Additionally, three criminal cases related to state treason during the same period involving 12 individuals have been sent to court, 11 of whom are also in custody.