Terrifying Details from the 44-Day War: 'The Commander Said: Shoot the Wounded in the Head, Run' Hraparak

Under the chairmanship of Judge John Hayrapetyan, on March 2, the trial of Ishkhan Vahanyan, commander of a battalion from one of the military units and head of the conscript and junior officer corps, is being conducted, reports Hraparak.

It is noted that relatives of servicemen killed during the 44-day war are also present in the courtroom.

Ishkhan Vahanyan, who has been accused of committing publicly dangerous acts due to his negligence, was appointed commander of the 5th infantry battalion of the Defense Army on October 9, 2020. He was a major and, by virtue of his position and rank, the direct supervisor of the conscript and junior officer corps of the same battalion. During the state of war declared by the Government of Armenia on September 27, 2020, he actively participated in the military operations near Khurnahat Mountain, close to the city of Hadrut on October 10, 2020. His inaction due to personal interests of not risking his own life resulted in severe consequences. This negligence resulted in numerous servicemen from the 5th infantry battalion of the Defense Army being killed, missing, captured, and also suffering various degrees of bodily injury.

The father of Sasun Petrosyan, who was killed in the 44-day war, stated in court: "When speaking with my son, he conveyed to me that a high-ranking military officer said to them, 'Look after your own heads, you bastards, shoot the wounded in the head, and run.' I cannot confirm who it was because my son didn't specify, but it was a high-ranking military officer who said this."

The father added, "The children, being surrounded, of course, blamed the command staff. Who else could they blame? From the squad commander to the commander of the Armed Forces, they should answer for betraying the boys."