Twenty Armenian Citizens Charged With High Treason

YEREVAN — Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) announced today that the investigation into a high treason and espionage case involving 20 former and active military officers, revealed that the latter collected and transmitted military information from the battlefields to a foreign intelligence service during the 2020 autumn war in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

“As a result of their anti-state activities during the fierce periods of the war the enemy had a clear idea of the Armenian troops deployment, the types and quantity of their weapons, their offensive, defensive and strategic redeployments – up to the specific geographical coordinates on the maps,” the NSS said today.

As a result of anti-government activities that undermined the foundations of the state, threatened the territorial integrity, and endangered the lives of those who fought selflessly on the battlefield, the enemy used clear drones and various artillery shells to dislodge Armenian military units, hindering their tasks.

‘It is indicative that the foreign intelligence service recruited former or active servicemen into the espionage network who due to their service had the opportunity to enter military units in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh, to rise to combat positions, to get acquainted with various documents and information related to the military,’ the NSS said.

As well as using their authority among their comrades-in-arms, the traitors entered military units, went to military positions, made covert videos, recorded the types and quantities of military equipment, the movement of military units, took photos of military maps, obtained other information. to foreign intelligence agents for a fee.

A total of 20 people have been charged with aiding and abetting treason in the face of a sufficient combination of evidence obtained during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case, 14 of whom have been remanded in custody.

“Comprehensive operational and intelligence measures and investigative actions are being taken to detect all members of the spy network, to initiate criminal proceedings against them and to neutralize foreign intelligence activities in the Armenian Armed Forces,’ the statement said.

The NSS said also that numerous other cases were uncovered involving Armenian military, who collected and transmitted information and documents of strategic importance to representatives of foreign intelligence services during the 2020 war, ‘thereby weakening the security of their country and helping the enemy to solve its combat tasks and gain a significant advantage on the battlefield.’