Accusatory Conclusion Published in the ‘Chemists’ Military Unit’ Case: What is Known

In the Anti-Corruption Court of Armenia, the prosecutor has published the accusatory conclusion regarding the case of Andranik Makaryan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Arsen Abgaryan, commander of one of the military units of the Ministry of Defense, Acting Commander Sargis Kulakchyan, and Head of the Reinforcement Department Ellada Harutyunyan.

The mother of a soldier who went missing during the war told NEWS.am that Andranik Makaryan stated in court that he does not accept the charges against him.

“They do not recognize their guilt. He says that they acted on someone's orders, so let him say whose order it was. When they knew that the area was already occupied and they took the kids there, then they should bear their punishment. They are running away from the parents because they don’t know what to say,” said the mother of the missing soldier.

According to the charges, General Makaryan, who was responsible for the combat tasks in Kovsakan, upon learning that Arsen Abgaryan's group was surrounded, did not rush to provide assistance, instead gave the order to retreat and returned to Kapan. As a result, out of the 40 soldiers from Abgaryan’s ‘Chemists’ unit, 5 were captured, 12 were killed, and the remaining 23 soldiers and the bus driver went missing.

General Andranik Makaryan is charged with inaction, facing a potential prison sentence of 7 to 13 years. It is noted that parents have received responses from the Ministry of Health regarding DNA genetic testing, which match the remains extracted from Kovsakan, yet many parents do not trust the results.