Armenia | Officer arrested for ignoring drone sound which killed 18 soldiers

Defence Redefined

05/01/2021

A deputy commander in a military unit of the Defence Army, Lieutenant Colonel A.V. (based on his identification by the Armenian media) was arrested for allegedly giving an order during the hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh, which resulted in the death of 18 soldiers and the wounding of another, the Armenian Prosecutor’s Office revealed on Wednesday (December 30th).

The father of one of the dead soldiers wrote a letter to Attorney General Artur Davtyan, in which he stated the incidents. The father, according to the publication of “Caucasian Knot”, after learning that his son had been sent to Nagorno-Karabakh, drove there to support the soldiers. 

He said that on October 9, he was an eyewitness when the Lieutenant Colonel in question ordered the soldiers to return to the truck and continue their course even though they could hear the sound of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flying near them. A few minutes later, the truck came under drone fire and the soldiers were killed, the father wrote in his letter.

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The Investigative Committee, according to reports in the Armenian media, found that the deputy commander of the unit ignored the sound of the UAV and ordered the soldiers to return to the truck and continue their course. The deputy commander reportedly told his men that “UAVs are a problem for the air defence forces.” 

“Based on the evidence obtained, Lt. Col. A.V. was charged with abuse of power during martial law, which led to dire consequences. On the same day, a warrant was issued for his arrest, which was executed by the Syunik District Court,” the Attorney General’s Office said.

Hundreds of Armenian soldiers have been killed in drone strikes in the recent clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

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The Armenian Ministry of Defence has already launched investigations into dozens of cases involving the possible responsibility of senior officers who fought in the war. 

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* File Photo

With information from: panarmernan.net/caucasian knot