Armenian NSS Arrests Two Citizens on Charges of Spying for Azerbaijan

YEREVAN (Arka.am) — Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) said today it has arrested a former career army officer and his friend on charges of spying for Azerbaijan. In a statement the NSS described the scale of high treason as ‘unprecedented.’

According to the NSS, the former army officer appeared to be awarded military and other government medals for ‘impeccable service and participation in hostilities’.

The NSS said the officer and his friend had traveled to Turkey for search of jobs and were recruited there by Azerbaijani special services.

After leaving Turkey they met with high-ranking officials of the Azerbaijani special services in Azerbaijani embassy in a third country and were asked to sign some cooperation papers.

According to NSS, the two men were in regular contact with the special services of Azerbaijan, received specific instructions to photograph and film the military units of the Armenian armed forces, the military equipment deployed there, the number of servicemen and personal data of command personnel.

They also recorded and transmitted information about the deployed air defense systems of Armenia and Artsakh, the presence of air defense systems near special and important facilities, including reservoirs, hydroelectric power plants, strategic heights, and shelter facilities during hostilities, the number and movement of troops and military equipment. This information was sent to the Azerbaijani special services using mobile applications with activation of Internet access and determination of the location of specially protected objects.

According to the NSS, during the war in Artsakh last autumn, the former army officer was a commander of a volunteer unit. He went to the battlefield in the Hadrut region of Artsakh to carry out a new assignment received from the Azerbaijani special services. Until October 2020, he collected and transmitted information about air defense and missile systems, military equipment and combat positions to the enemy’s special services through a mobile phone.

As a result, the enemy was able to locate strategically important weapons and military equipment, inflict irreparable damage and hit strategic targets, including an anti-aircraft missile system.

According to the NSS, as a result of the espionage and treacherous activities of the above two citizens, the country hostile to Armenia received information containing state and official secrets. They were charged with treason, confessed and were arrested.

The investigators have also revealed special means for communication, mobile phones, training videos, and other items related to the criminal case.