Armenia controlled separatist army’s leadership, says Mnatsakayan

Baku Military Court continued its proceedings on March 17, where defendant Lyova Mnatsakanyan made a striking admission regarding the chain of command in the so-called separatist "army" in Garabagh.

According to Azernews, Mnatsakanyan revealed that key military appointments within the illegal armed forces were directly decided in Armenia. “The Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, the Minister of Defense, and the President of Armenia were responsible for appointing officers at the rank of lieutenant colonel and higher,” he stated. “As the so-called ‘commander’ of the ‘army,’ I could only assign officers up to the rank of major and issue promotions up to that level.”

The defendant further admitted that the financing of the illegal armed group was entirely managed by Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, while weapons and ammunition were fully supplied by the Armenian Armed Forces. “We had a supply service,” he explained. “The service received supplies and then distributed them to each unit. In other words, all military provisions were handled by Armenia’s Ministry of Defense.”

The trial is part of an ongoing legal process against Armenian citizens accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of international law during Armenia’s military aggression. Charges include planning and conducting aggressive warfare, genocide, breaches of war laws, terrorism, financing terrorism, and attempts to violently seize and maintain power.