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.