Pashinyan fired the commander of the grouping of Armenian-Russian troops after the statement about the “fifth column” in the army

The commander of the Joint Group of Forces of Armenia and Russia, Tigran Parvanyan, was recalled at the request of Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan. The decree on this matter was signed by the President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturian.

Parvanyan was removed from office under Art. 133 of the Constitution, which states that such powers are vested in the president, as well as on the basis of the act “On military service and the status of military personnel”. The reasons for the dismissal were not disclosed.

Parvanyan took command of the combined Russian-Armenian forces in February 2018 on the orders of former president Serzh Sargsyan, having previously commanded the first army formation. The task of the group is to reconnoitre preparations for an armed attack on Russia and Armenia in the region and to repel it. It also participates in the protection of borders and anti-aircraft defense of countries. The decision on the deployment and use of the group is made jointly by the Supreme Commanders of the Armed Forces of Russia and Armenia.

Earlier that day, Pashinyan announced the presence of a “fifth column” in the Armed Forces of the country. According to him, this is why Armenia lost the war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. The Prime Minister added that a large number of military personnel, including high-ranking ones, were under investigation on charges of treason, espionage, capitulation of territories and failure to fulfill the obligations to protect and defend sections of the border.

The Karabakh peace agreement was concluded through Russia. It also sent peacekeepers to monitor compliance with the agreements until 2025. Despite this, skirmishes began to occur on the border from August 2022. The last time Armenia and Azerbaijan clashed was in early MarchBoth sides reported dead and wounded. The situation remains tense in Baku blocked the Lachin corridor – the only highway connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

Pashinyan turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin for help, reminding him of this Moscow has taken on obligations to ensure the security of the unrecognized republic, and the corridor is the area of ​​responsibility of Russian peacekeepers. However, the roadblock continues to this day.

The Armenian authorities have become increasingly disillusioned with Russia as they continue to downgrade bilateral relations and move away from the CSTO, a military bloc of former Soviet republics loyal to the Kremlin. Recently, Yerevan decided to limit its participation in the governing structures of the organization.

Pashinyan also noted that the current Russian military presence in Armenia not only does not guarantee the republic’s security, but “on the contrary, it creates threats” because Azerbaijan uses this fact to manipulate Western states. He explained it In contacts with partners, Baku increasingly “justifies its aggressive actions with fears that Armenia and Russia are preparing to oppose Azerbaijan.” As a possible solution to the problem, Pashinyan proposed sending an additional international peacekeeping contingent to Karabakh.