YEREVAN. April 27 (Interfax) - Lieut. Gen. Andranik Makaryan, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces and head of the combat training directorate, has been charged with negligence leading to the disappearance of a 60-strong Armed Forces unit during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020.
"Andranik Makaryan has been charged with actions as a result of which 60 servicemen went missing. He has been interrogated by the Investigative Committee, where he said that it was due to an error committed during area orientation. Makaryan himself claims that he was forced to issue that order," the Armenian newspaper Zhoghovurd said on Tuesday.
Makaryan has been charged under Part 3 of Article 376 of the Criminal Code - negligent attitude of a commander or an official toward his duties, leading to significant damage inflicted during a war-like situation, a war, or in a combat environment, the Armenian Investigative Committee told Interfax.
Travel restrictions have been imposed on Makaryan as a restraining measure.
Former Defense Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Jalal Harutyunyan and former General Staff Chief Movses Akopyan have been interrogated as part of this case.
"They have provided other information to investigators," Zhoghovurd said.
The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office told the country's media on March 9 that Andranik Makaryan had been charged as part of a criminal case, but declined to say what crime Makaryan had been accused of or to disclose the essence of the charges against him, citing "the interests of the investigation."
Armenian media outlets said earlier that Makaryan was being prosecuted as part of a criminal case being investigated by the Armenian Investigative Committee over errors committed during the Karabakh war in the fall of 2020.
Makaryan is one of four high-ranking military commanders who refused to support the General Staff's statement demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.