Friday, September 2 2022 12:27

ArmInfo.Former commander of the Defense Army, chief adviser to the President of Artsakh Mikayel Arzumanyan has been charged for the "retreat" order given to the  military staff that liberated the Arega height and adjacent combat  positions during the 2020 war in Artsakh, the press service of the  Investigative Committee of Armenia reports.

According to the source, as a result of large-scale investigative and  procedural actions carried out within the framework of the criminal  proceedings being investigated in the Department of Investigation of  Particularly Important Cases of the Main Military Investigation  Department of the RA Investigative Committee, it was established that  M.A. (Mikael Arzumanyan), who held a military leadership position, in  order to emphasize his authority and priority position and other  personal interests, during the aggressive war unleashed in 2020 by  the military-political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in  the conditions of the declared martial law, exceeded the limit of his  official powers, which led to through negligence, serious material  consequences.

As noted, the investigation found out that on September 28, 2020, the  Arega height, located on the defensive site of the N military unit of  the Defense Army, which is of great strategic importance in the area  in the north-eastern direction of Artsakh, as well as the combat  positions adjacent to it came under the control of the Azerbaijani  Armed Forces. A counterattack launched on the same day to liberate  the lost positions failed.

On September 29, 2020, the Armenian units launched a new  counterattack operation to liberate the Arega height and adjacent  combat positions, which was crowned with success. On the same day, at  about 9:50am, the Armenian units managed to take control of the Arega  height, the adjacent combat positions and the enemy's rear support  route, causing great losses to the enemy. In particular, about 10  units of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed, the main part of the  enemy's manpower located at the indicated height - several dozen  military personnel, two armored personnel carriers were taken as  trophies.

On September 29, 2020, around 4:00pm, Major General M.A. approached  his units that had liberated the height, and, having familiarized  himself with the situation, namely, that the Arega height and  adjacent combat positions, the enemy's rear support road was under  the control of his units, that as a result of the counterattack, it  was possible to destroy the enemy's main manpower, armored vehicles,  ordered the military staff to leave the liberated height <Arega> and  retreat, not having such an authority to give orders to the military  staff of the units participating in the counterattack, not being  their immediate superior, not having the authority and such an order  from the higher command to visit this place and carry out any combat  mission, while  explaining his this action by the fact that the  implementation of another operation is already planned at this place.

The units refused to comply with the "retreat" order given by  Major-General M.A.,, the general, upset by such a circumstance,  ordered to contact the commander of the military unit, after which  the latter also ordered by radio to instruct the subordinate units to  leave the Arega height and retreat.

In response to the order of M.A. the commander of the military unit  objected, arguing that it was inappropriate to retreat from the  liberated height, since then the enemy would take a dominant position  and there would be a danger of Armenian units falling into an  encirclement. Meanwhile, M.A., using the fact that in the past he was  the immediate head of the commander of the military unit, his  military authority, insisted and demanded to immediately fulfill his  order, adding that he knows better the depths of the defense, better  control of the situation, as a result of which the commander of the  military parts, trusting M.A. and being in another place in the area  of active hostilities at that time, ordered the military personnel to  carry out the order.

As a result of the actions of Major General M.A. the units retreated  to their initial positions, the enemy moved forward unhindered and on  the same day, as of 1:00pm, took control of the Arega height, the  adjacent combat heights, strengthened its forces and resources, from  where it had the opportunity to observe the depth of the defense of  the units and, having developed its success and having a dominant  position, carried out attacks in the direction of other combat posts  of the defensive line, fired at adjacent combat positions. The  counterattacks of our units, carried out on October 3 and October 5,  2020 to liberate the Arega height, failed, during which the units  suffered losses with killed and wounded.

On September 1, 2022, M.A. charged under Part 4 of Article 375 of the  RA Criminal Code, adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponds to Part 3 of  Article 549 of the current Criminal Code) (excess or abuse of power -  ed. note).  The Investigative Committee recalled that within the  framework of another criminal proceeding for official negligence  shown in organizing the defense of the city of Shushi and adjacent  areas, on August 30, M.A.  was charged under part 3 of Article 376 of  the Criminal Code of Armenia adopted on April 18, 2003 (corresponds  to part 3 of Article 550 of the current Criminal Code of Armenia -  military negligence), a petition was submitted to the court for  election against him arrest as a preventive measure.  On September 1,  2022, the Yerevan Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction  granted the petition and M.A. was arrested for two months.  

The investigation continues.