MP Narek Grigoryan's 'Gegharkunik' Squad Did Not Engage in Combat or Perform Assignments on the Frontline: Ministry of Defense

According to a response to an inquiry from Yerkir.am, the 'Gegharkunik' squad led by MP Narek Grigoryan from the Civil Contract faction has not engaged in combat on the frontline and has not performed any separate combat assignments. The Ministry of Defense confirmed this information.

A few days ago, we addressed MP Narek Grigoryan's statements in the National Assembly where he claimed that he allegedly served as the commander of some 'Gegharkunik' squad during the 44-day war and mentioned that he was approached by the father of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Iskhan Sagatelyan, Vachik Sagatelyan, who supposedly requested Grigoryan to allow him to go home due to health issues.

We sent an inquiry to the Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan asking for clarification regarding which sections of the frontline the 'Gegharkunik' squad led by Narek Grigoryan engaged in combat, how many members were part of this squad during that period, under which military unit the squad participated in combat operations, what combat assignments they performed, how many days the squad was involved in the war, how many casualties and injuries the squad incurred, and how many members of the squad received awards for their participation in the war along with the types of awards received.

The Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Defense provided a written clarification stating that the 'Gegharkunik' squad led by Narek Grigoryan did not engage in combat on the frontline, did not perform any separate combat assignments, and there were no casualties or injuries among its personnel. Furthermore, there have been no submissions for awards.

Additionally, the Ministry of Defense reported that this squad was comprised of 300 reservists according to its structural composition, and it was activated for military service between October 24 and December 14, 2020. Despite this substantial number, the information from the Ministry of Defense reveals that the squad is a subdivision of Unit N, but under the commander's directive, it was designated as a reserve for a battalion commander and operated under separate orders from the battalion commander, addressing issues of 2nd echelon defense and rear support with only 31 servicemen (including N. Grigoryan). It turns out that only 31 out of the 300 individuals listed by Narek Grigoryan were involved in any rear support tasks. This reflects the entire 'combat path' of the so-called 'Gegharkunik' squad.

We also reported that, according to information, MP Narek Grigoryan is registered at the 'Sevan Mental Health Center' LLC. The Ministry of Health did not deny this information.

We asked the Minister of Defense whether Narek Grigoryan, registered at a mental health center, had the right to form a squad, be armed, and escort people in combat operations during the 44-day war and what steps the Ministry of Defense had taken to monitor all these aspects. Unfortunately, the ministry did not provide any clarification on this matter.