April 8, 2026
yesterday we wrote that the RA Investigative Committee does not have “up-to-date” data on desertion during the 44-day war.
Has anything changed in the RA General Prosecutor’s Office data in the last year? On April 1 168.amhas also sent a written request to the RA General Prosecutor’s Office to get the answer to these questions.
1. During the 44-day war of 2020, between September 27 and November 9, how many cases of desertion were there, i.e., how many cases were initiated against how many people?
2. How many of the deserters in the 44-day war were from the regular army, how many from the reservists, volunteers?
3. Were there cases of desertion from the National Security Service and the Police during the 44-day war and how many cases?
In response to these questions, the General Prosecutor’s Office states in its reply.
“In response to your 2026 of the first point of April 1, we inform you that December 25, 2025 inclusive, according to Article 361, Part 7 of the Criminal Code (adopted on April 18, 2003) (voluntarily leaving the military unit or place of service), with part 3 of Article 362 (defection) and part 3 of Article 364 (refusing to perform military service duties) articles was initiated 1786 criminal proceedings 10.687 to the person. 486 criminal case 655 was sent to the court with an indictment on the person. A guilty verdict was reached 410 about the person.
Regarding the 2nd and 3rd points of the survey, we inform you that separate accounting is not carried out.”
And in June 2025, the RA General Prosecutor’s Office provided us with this data.
“In the service area of the RA Military Prosecutor’s Office during the period of the 44-day war of 2020 and the declared martial law (from September 27, 2020 to March 24, 2021) in accordance with Article 361, Part 7 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia adopted on April 18, 2003 (voluntarily leaving the military unit or place of service), According to part 3 of Article 362 (defection) and part 3 of Article 364 (refusal to perform military service duties), as well as with criminal proceedings initiated by a combination of the mentioned articles As of May 1, 2025 an investigation is being carried out in the pre-trial proceedings 8240 regarding persons.
Committed crimes provided for in the mentioned articles 352 guilty verdicts have been passed on the persons”.
Let us add that at the same time, the RA Investigative Committee informed us that during the 44-day military operations of 2020, in cases of crimes against military service in the divisions of the Main Military Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee 1,500 criminal proceedings were initiated against 11,000 or more servicemen. The picture was the same in 2025.
And even if there is a certain change in the data of the prosecutor’s office in the last year, in any case, almost 6 years after the 2020 war, there is no evidence of the desertion of 11,000 or more people confirmed by the court.
Moreover, the relevant authorities are reluctant to make clear claims about how many cases of desertion there have been among regular army soldiers.
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