Chaos in Armenian army triggers more soldier deaths

/By AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

The armed incidents among the soldiers conscripted from Armenia and from Armenians living in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh have turned into a tool in the hands of the Armenian authorities against Azerbaijan, the Defense Ministry said.

The Armenian media spread regularly news on Armenian soldiers' death, accusing Azerbaijan to be responsible, when really such allegations contradict the reality, the Azerbaijani defense ministry stated.

The recent reports noted that in the wake of Azerbaijani forces' alleged provocation attack on Armenia army's positions several Armenian servicemen were killed.

The Azerbaijani side announced that such news from Armenian media serve only to hide realities on the ground - namely the chaos existing within the Armenian army, while at the same time demonizing Azerbaijani troops.

"The operative situation along the line of contact is under full control of the Azerbaijani armed forces and our army is ready to repel any provocative attempt by the enemy," the ministry said.

Poor relations among soldiers and officers in the Armenian army have already turned into a driving factor behind the servicemen's deaths in non-combat conditions. Officers' willful treatment of soldiers, the humiliations they continue to bare on them often result in armed incident that ultimately claim the lives of servicemen.

The increasing number of soldier deaths has unavoidably triggered public concern and angered the families of the deceased conscripts.

Father of Vanchik Ovakimyan, a soldier who committed suicide in the army, has claimed that his son's death earlier in February came from the hands of army fellows and was not a suicide.

Furthermore, on March 26, Yerevan witnessed a large protest of irate mothers in front of the Presidential Administration, who blamed the authorities for the deaths of their children.

Mothers say that accusing a soldier family of the murders, suicides and violence in the army is the popular method of Armenia's Defense Ministry, the very body which is responsible for the ongoing chaos and disorder in the army. The Defense Ministry's deliberate moves to hide the motives of the servicemen’ deaths were condemned harshly by the parents.

Armenian soldier, Andranik Grigoryan, who surrendered voluntarily to the Azerbaijani forces on March 22, has brought the realities of living in the Armenian army to the limelight when he revealed the bad treatment soldiers suffer by the hands of commanders.

Clarifying the reasons for his defection from the army, Griogoryan said he couldn't bare the tortures anymore and crossed to Azerbaijan unhesitatingly.

During an earlier interrogation, Grigoryan revealed the realities facing the Armenian armed forces, including the shortage of weapons, poor morale, difficult living conditions, and low food supplies and so on. "Even civilians are entrenched as guards due to a lack of servicemen on the frontline units," confirmed the capitulator conscript.