Armenian military conscript reveals deplorable situation in army "It's just a disgrace"

An article by military conscript Suren Manucharyan published by a number of Armenian media has revealed a deplorable situation in the army.

"To talk or to skip? To speak up and share the truth? Or do nothing - it's the same thing, nothing will change. At first I thought I would tell what I have to tell as soon as I got home, but I realized that the issue is important to me, let the anger pass, and then I will calmly and reasonably tell what I have to tell. This is going to be a bit long, but don't be lazy, read it, you might need something. Of course, we should talk, we need to tell, we need to discuss and criticize mistakes, mess (the word "mess" will not fully express my opinion)."

Caliber.Az publishes excerpts from the article.

25-day military training camp

The horror of ignorance and deep disappointment of the participant. Disappointment in the mess of the state system, disappointment in the mess of the defense ministry leadership, disappointment in the generals who continue to spit on the lives and safety of their soldiers.

I served 9 years ago, in 2013-2015, I will say that everything has only gone for the worse, except for the food.

Because the food has been put out to tender and it is privately organized.

First of all let's start by saying at the "gathering place" that we will go to place X at time Y. We would go through training and then go to our respective combat positions. That's not what happened. We went to location X, were given clothes and a backpack, leaving us without food for the entire day. Only so-called dry rations were given, which we had to eat "on our feet". In short, about 8 hours of waiting.

We were immediately taken by cars to the place of XX, where we were initially told to go only on the day of going to the positions.

Here let me be a little more specific about how exactly all this was organized. For myself, I emphasize a few main areas:

1) Living conditions;

2) The quality and quantity of weapons and ammunition;

3) Time spent on education and training;

4) Quality of military knowledge;

5) Safety.

I will address all points in turn, based on what I have seen and experienced.

Accommodations

The building chosen for accommodation was an old building - concrete, with Soviet renovations.

The corridor rooms were not heated, the barracks were hot and the corridors were cold. Perfect prerequisites for getting sick.

The barracks was a concrete dusty room furnished with old Soviet iron classic two-story "bunks". There were no bedding, we slept in sleeping bags.

The utility rooms were located outside the building.

The washroom was large in the tent, with dilapidated sinks and 6-8 working taps. In addition, the whole area inside the tent was covered with mud. The organizers of this "event" didn't even think to throw some wooden pallets under their feet to keep the troops from walking through the mud.

Thank goodness the mess hall was inside the building.

So much for the accommodations.

Quality and quantity of weapons and ammunition

It's complicated. It's hard to even imagine that the top brass of the military, who survived the disaster of 2020, continue their treacherous work. No new weapons, no new ammunition. Weapons manufactured 70 years ago in a half-finished state (to put it mildly). No modern equipment. Not even binoculars and compasses. One unusable AKM and 4 magazines with ammunition. This is a representation of the state, this is the policy pursued by the authorities, the lying experience of the generals.

The body armor is a miracle, with old destroyed and partially covered with protective stone, mostly in the front, in the back as if there is no risk of injury. It's just disgusting.

That, in my opinion, is enough to form an opinion on the state of the ammunition.

Time spent on training and preparation

There was no understanding of physical training in the morning, let alone a specialized type of training that would further strengthen the body to withstand possible physical stresses.

Do you know what a soldier does the most? Waiting!

Waiting and doing nothing in the meantime. Waiting in formation, waiting in front of the mess hall, waiting for some scheduled training, waiting everywhere.

Quality of military knowledge

As I have already said, the saturation of the main troops with modern ammunition, we can say, tends to zero. A small number of special units are equipped with them (and I wonder how many). As of February 2024, we continue to base our strategy on 1950s literature. In the 4 years since the last war, we still haven't thought through drone defence skills, for example.

Security

It would be hard to talk about something that doesn't exist. Yes, there is no security for the soldier. 9 years ago and now, after 2020. There are no major changes. Vests are the same that don't cover the neck, right and left sides. There are new types and quality of body armor coming out all over the world that can cover the whole body and be part of clothing. And no, why spend money on a soldier when you can destroy him? The soldier will die, let's call it an "accident".

We are not immune to drones, we are not immune to heavy artillery. That's about all I've seen. It's just a disgrace. Yes, I'd have to say it's just a disgrace."