New Dangerous Logic Introduced into the Armenian Army: David Ananyan

Starting from February 1, 2026, the spiritual services in the Armenian Armed Forces will be suspended. This was announced by the former head of the State Revenue Committee, David Ananyan, on his Facebook page.

“By the order of the Minister of Defense, the regulation in force since 2000 has been declared invalid, and the spiritual servants appointed by the Armenian Apostolic Church will be removed from the Armed Forces. This is not merely an administrative or ‘technical’ decision. This is yet another phase of the systemic war being waged by this government against the Armenian Apostolic Church. The institute that has stood by the soldier for nearly three decades—through not only prayer but also human presence, the voice of conscience, the ability to listen and support in difficult moments—is being removed from the military,” he wrote.

“Instead, a model of ‘acceptable faith’ stripped of value-laden content is being introduced under administrative control. They will officially say that faith is not being prohibited. But in reality, they are dissolving its organized structure. Moreover, with this decision, a new dangerous logic is being introduced into the Armenian army. By pushing the clergy out from under the church's auspices, the government is effectively paving the way for the involvement of disorganized, administratively dependent ‘spiritual figures,’ creating an anti-church subculture directly within the Armenian army. This is not only a step against the church but also an attempt to reshape the internal value system of the army. When the state takes away the spiritual support from the soldier and turns the army into an ideological testing ground, this is not a reform, but a civilizational choice. And the price for this will be paid first and foremost by the Armenian soldier,” he added.