L’accusatore pubblico richiede il principe Vahanyan condannato a 18 anni di prigione, il pubblico ministero richiede che Ishkhan Vahanyan sia condannato a 18 anni di carcere.

> “On October 10, 2020, at around 12:00, the defendant Ishkhan Vahanyan, out of personal interest in not actively participating in the combat operations that took place on Mount Khurhat near the city of Hadrut and not endangering his own life, demonstrated inaction by the authorities, failing to fulfill the duties imposed on him by the Internal Service Regulations of the RA Armed Forces and the Combat Regulations of the Armed Forces, which **negligently caused serious consequences: a number of servicemen of the 5th Rifle Battalion of Jrakan were killed, missing, captured, as well as received bodily injuries of varying degrees**,” Public Prosecutor Gevorg Avetisyan delivered his indictment at the Yerevan Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction.

>Ishkhan Vahanyan, commander of the 5th Battalion of Jrakan recruits, **is accused of leaving the recruits of the training battalion alone on the battlefield and abandoning combat positions.**

>According to the testimonies, on October 10, 2020, when the enemy attacked, Ishkhan Vahanyan came down from the mountain, saying that he was wounded, got into the car and left, taking his means of communication with him.

>The majority of the battalion retreated and, not knowing about the enemy’s location, went to Hadrut, as a result of which some of the soldiers were killed or captured.

>“Based on the assessment of the evidence obtained in the case, I find that the guilt of the defendant Ishkhan Vahanyan is fully substantiated, the actions were given correct criminal and legal assessments, and he is subject to criminal liability,” said Gevorg Avetisyan.

>The public prosecutor demanded that the defendant Ishkhan Vahanyan be found guilty under Part 4 of Article 375 and Part 1 of Article 380 of the former Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, and by partially adding the sentences, the final sentence be imprisonment for a term of 18 years. The public prosecutor proposed to deduct from the sentence imposed on Ishkhan Vahanyan the period of actual detention of 3 years, 8 months and 8 days.

>The personnel of the battalion, left without a commander, panicked

>In his indictment, Gevorg Avetisyan emphasized that the personnel of the 5th battalion, left without proper command and control and means of communication, panicked, tried to defend themselves by all possible means and methods, but in the absence of coordinated combat operations and unified leadership, they did not succeed.

>Unable to obtain information from the superior headquarters about the enemy’s penetration into the city of Hadrut, part of the battalion personnel retreated towards the mentioned city, as a result of which conscripts were killed, captured by the enemy, and received various degrees of bodily injuries, while the whereabouts of soldier Artur Aleksanyan are still unknown.

[vardanyan is denying wrongdoings]

> The commander is obliged to transfer his powers and the means of communication available to him to his replacement

>The public prosecutor cited the testimonies of the witness questioned in court, former commander of the 18th Infantry Division, reserve Major General Karen Arstamyan, and the witness, former deputy chief of the main staff of the operational department of the Jrakan military unit, Lieutenant Colonel Rurik Semyonov, according to whom the commander, in accordance with the established procedure, is obliged to transfer his powers and the means of communication available to him to his replacement, and inform his superior about this, after which he should withdraw from the battle. In addition, the retreat should be carried out in an organized manner so that the subordinate personnel are aware of his further actions, know in which direction he will withdraw and not fall into panic.

>“It is necessary to understand from the evidence obtained in this criminal case whether Ishkhan Vahanyan selflessly served his people or not, whether he courageously, skillfully, not sparing his own blood and even his life, defended the homeland, or, showing cowardice, sparing his life, used every possible opportunity to evade his duties?

>Did Vahanyan organize a circular defense and continue to hold the occupied positions in order to confront the enemy who had bypassed the defense zone, or not? And in the absence of this possibility and the need to make a forced retreat, did he meticulously organize the retreat of the troops in order to withdraw the units from that sector in a combat-ready state and determine its direction, or, taking advantage of the opportunity to be wounded, did he leave the subordinate personnel without proper leadership, relying on the whims of fate, – Avetisyan noted.