Former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Denies Guilt in the 'Chemists' Battalion Case

The former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Andranik Makaryan, has denied any wrongdoing in court. The 56-year-old lieutenant general, who was dismissed from service following the 44-day war, spoke briefly in court, responding to the prosecutor’s charges.
"From start to finish, it does not correspond to reality," Makaryan stated.

The retired general and two other military personnel are accused of inaction during the war, which led to the soldiers of the 'Chemists' battalion finding themselves in areas controlled by Azerbaijanis. According to the indictment, 62 contract soldiers were given orders by General-Major Makaryan to head to Zangelan.

They reached the vicinity of a school in the city, only to find that Azerbaijani forces had already taken the heights of Zangelan hours before. Law enforcement officials maintain that due to the negligence of battalion commander Arsen Abgaryan, the soldiers ended up in enemy territory. Makaryan, responsible for the special combat mission in Zangelan, upon learning that his group was encircled, reportedly did not rush to their aid, but instead ordered a retreat and returned to Kapan.

Prosecutor Arshak Martirosyan outlined the charges one by one, yet none of the defendants accepted responsibility. "On October 20, 2020, at noon, a phone conversation took place between the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Onik Gasparyan, and during this conversation, he provided the operational planning and received verbal instructions regarding the commencement of the aforementioned combat action," Martirosyan stated.

Relatives of the missing servicemen have conducted their own investigation over the past two years, pointing the finger at the defendants. "They were warned near the Kiri mine that it was already a captured area. Where are you going? They should have stopped at the Kiri mine, yet he gave the order to proceed," said one of the interviewees from Free Europe. "They had intentionally arranged to show that there was a captured area and that there had been fighting there, that sacrifices were made, and they handed our boys over to the Turks."

Out of 62 soldiers encircled, only 22 managed to escape with Commander Abgaryan, while the remaining 40 soldiers included some who were killed, and 23 are still missing.