More Armenian officers face trial for dereliction and desertion in 2020 Karabakh war

A prosecutor in Yerevan has submitted to court another criminal case, approved with an indictment, against commanders of a military unit and a battalion in connection with their actions during the 44-day Second Karabakh War in 2020.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, an investigation conducted by Armenia's Investigative Committee found that the commander of the military unit, Colonel A.O., showed negligent performance of his official duties between October 6 and 7, 2020, executing them improperly, which led to serious consequences through carelessness, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media outlets.

Specifically, on October 6, 2020, A.O. received an order from the commander of the Armenian occupation forces in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan to launch an offensive on the western outskirts of Horadiz and restore the lost defence line. However, he failed to carry out the order.

The investigation also established that the battalion commander of a military unit, Lieutenant Colonel G.A., who was participating in a counterattack conducted by the unit's forces on October 7, 2020, along with his battalion, was required to engage in the attack — including in the direction of Lala-Ilag and the western slope of Horadiz mountain. However, under the pretext of counting losses of weapons and ammunition, and with the intention of avoiding active participation in combat, he refused to continue the mission.

G.A. ordered his battalion personnel to deviate from the assigned route, rejected proposals to establish communication with higher command, and then, without the permission of his senior commander, ordered the entire battalion to turn back and withdraw, aborting the counterattack.

By Khagan Isayev