‘Pashinyan is lying, my son was injured during the Lele Tepe operation and was transferred to the hospital’ - Seyran Ohanyan

I do not want to comment on the operations because they are planned in secrecy. As far as I remember, during the days of the 2020 war, Pashinyan himself wrote on his Facebook page about a large operation being conducted, the successes of which the public would witness. This was stated by Seyran Ohanyan, the leader of the ‘Armenia’ faction in the National Assembly, in an interview with ‘Aravot’.

In response to the question of whether Ohanyan's son refused to participate in the Lele Tepe operation, Ohanyan replied, ‘I do not want to comment on the operations because they are planned in secrecy. As far as I remember, during the 2020 war, Pashinyan himself wrote on his Facebook page about a large operation being conducted, the successes of which the public would witness.

In other words, being very far from assessing the military-political situation and also ignoring the confidentiality regime, he made such a statement. Now he continues to publicly discuss the operations that have taken place in the armed forces and the Artsakh Defense Army, without differentiating between counter-offensive and counter-strike. As far as I know, it has been a counter-strike for the Artsakh Defense Army, not an offensive.

I am not authorized to provide a comprehensive assessment or analysis of the operations. But regarding my son, I can say the following. My son was serving in the Defense Army, and during one of the operations, I believe it was during the Lele Tepe operation, he was wounded. I think he was wounded when their units were in the attack and advancing process. After being injured, he reported to his superiors, and the leadership decided to appoint someone else in his place, and he was transferred to a military hospital. If they are trying to find something in that, to say he refused to participate in the operation, as they manipulate and lie in other matters, in this matter, he is also lying. It is obvious that Nikol Pashinyan is lying. I have spoken to my son, he was wounded during combat operations, when he could have been at his command post. But he went to the front line to create the appropriate situation in the combat regime.

In response to whether Nikol Pashinyan's statement was correct, that during the war there were many cases of casualties not on the battlefield, but while moving, Seyran Ohanyan specifically noted: ‘His assessment is incorrect because the commander himself makes decisions about where the dangerous situation is. The commander assesses the situation, makes decisions, and determines the possible options and methods of movement.

Wherever there is shelling, it is clear that the commander must make multiple decisions: whether to move by car or not, how far apart the vehicles should be, what the combat readiness should be, and also the air defense issues. The main problems of the 2020 war were the result of incorrect assessments of the military-political situation and the tactical situation in the tactical rings. And he, Nikol Pashinyan, lacks the ability to assess the military-political situation, to evaluate the nature of the enemy's possible actions, and to assess our troops regarding what our troops' actions should be like. I can only say that where there has been a clear assessment of the situation, discipline, proper trenching, and proper discipline during movement, we have had few losses. The main reason for the casualties has been the lack of maintenance of discipline in the combat regime. This also depends on him.

Nikol Pashinyan today, while present in that investigative commission, is trying to shift the main blame onto the army. It is clear that the army is fighting, but the state is fighting, and the state must stand behind the army and ensure all aspects of support for the army. Especially mobilization, continuous replenishment of the army with human resources, and recovery from sanitary losses. It can be said that they have not carried out the mobilization tasks, and this is not only a problem of the army; it is mainly a problem of the state. In Artsakh, I have seen many officials, including Nikol Pashinyan. Their presence there has yielded no results. Usually, when leaders go to the theater of military operations, they go and provide support with their reserves to all structures fighting in the theater of military operations.

I mean military units, formations, and divisions. Their presence on the battlefield, both in Artsakh and along the borders of the Republic of Armenia, has yielded no results. They have not been able to change anything, to create a breakthrough. And where the units have fought, they have had successes, the enemy has had no penetrations. If the enemy is preparing to strike and the main blow is in the penetration zone, it is the state's responsibility to regroup, bring appropriate military structures, and close the penetration zone. Nikol Pashinyan is trying to shift the blame solely on the army and the tactical level, while neither the executive, nor the legislative, nor the judicial system has fulfilled their work, which is to establish legality and order in the theater of military operations. And where there are significant violations, they are obliged to carry out strict measures. That means rapid investigations, operational intelligence measures, external trials.

They have done nothing; in other words, the actions of neither the legislature, the executive, nor the judicial bodies have yielded any results. They have been futile in their presence. Where commanders fought at 260 kilometers from 283 kilometers, we have had results. And where the enemy has amassed forces, and penetrations have occurred, the main responsible party is the state. That penetration and advancement of forces occurred where the government should have approved those decisions. In that investigative commission, they will only shift the blame onto the tactical level, onto the army, while Nikol Pashinyan's speech does not differ from the manipulations he has made during previous interviews, responses in the National Assembly, and speeches. The main responsible person is himself, but he claims that everyone is to blame except for him.