Chaos Prevails in the Armed Forces: Former Defense Army Commander Issues Statement

Former Commander of the Defense Army, Lieutenant General Mikael Arzumanyan, has issued a statement through ArmLur.am.

“Recently, there has been an increase in the publication of inaccurate information by various officials regarding me, and therefore, I would like to briefly address these matters.

Firstly, I would like to note that I assumed command of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh on October 27, 2020, under extremely difficult conditions when the enemy had already breached several defensive zones and approached the outskirts of Shushi. There was chaos in the army, and the enemy had overwhelming superiority both in the air and on the ground. In the existing situation, I did everything possible to confront the quantitatively and materially superior enemy, and in certain cases, we achieved serious successes.

However, the enemy concentrated even greater forces and resources, which the Armenian side did not have the human or armament resources to counter, of which the political leadership was also well aware. The accusations against me are directly linked to the political situation prevailing in Armenia during specific moments and to the chronology of mutual accusations regarding the surrender of Shushi by various individuals.

I have been chosen as a target for this purpose, so that some individuals attempt to shift their accusations onto me. Those who know me are well aware that I have fought for my country with a weapon in hand since the age of 18, and that I am one of the first people to have entered Shushi after its liberation.

Thus, I do not consider it a coincidence that I have been selected as a target. Regarding the accusations that on September 29, 2020, our forces liberated the Areghasari height but I suddenly appeared there and ordered that our forces abandon the captured height and retreat, I would first like to state that I had no authority to issue such an order at that time as I was not the commander of the Defense Army.

Furthermore, if this statement is true, the following logical questions arise: - If the Areghasari height was indeed captured by our forces and if I ordered the surrender of that captured height on September 29, then why have I not been held accountable for it until now? - If I committed such a criminal act, why was I appointed as the commander of the Defense Army by the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces one month later? - How could a person who ordered the surrender of the Areghasari height enjoy such confidence from the military command and the Supreme Commander?

To prevent any further comments suggesting that the military command and the Supreme Commander were unaware of this, I want to clarify that anyone with a slight connection to military affairs will confirm that it is impossible to plan an operation to capture a height of such importance without the military command being informed. Similarly, it is impossible for the military command to be unaware of how the captured height was regained by the enemy. Every action is officially reported according to the chain of command. A month is a significant time frame for the military command and the national security service to be unaware of this, and yet, knowing this, I was appointed as the commander of the Defense Army.

Regarding the validity of the accusations, it is evident that there is no evidence to support them, nor can there be. This is why we have requested a public, open court trial so that society can clearly understand what actually happened and why such fabricated accusations were brought against me. Furthermore, after the information regarding the course of the war was presented publicly during the meetings of the investigative commission in the National Assembly, it remains even more unclear why my criminal case is being examined behind closed doors. Probably so that interested parties can freely present their fabrications outside those doors. Unlike those who accuse me, I have never spared my life for my country, and time will show that I also did my utmost to protect my homeland in the current situation,” the statement reads.