Trial underway over battalion commander who deserted Armenian army during 44-day war

The trial on the case of Ishkhan Vahanyan, battalion commander of one of the Armenian armed forces’ military units, continued in Yerevan on February 7.

The judicial process was presided over by Judge Hayrapetyan, Caliber.Az reports quoting Armenian media.

Relatives of the Armenian soldiers who died during the 44-day Second Karabakh War also attended the trial.

Major Vahanyan is accused of committing crimes during the 44-day war. As the commander of the 5th Rifle Battalion of the Armenian Armed Forces' military unit, Vahanyan left the combat position on October 10, 2020, at around 12:00 pm under the martial law declared by the Armenian government.

"Ishkhan Vahanyan left us in Hadrut, near the mountain and ran away. I cannot say in detail where he fled to, but that's how it happened," said, answering the prosecutor's questions, the 44-day war veteran who is a witness in the Msto Mstoyan case.