I Don't Believe He Could Have Abandoned His Position: Comrade

Hovhannes Vardanian, a comrade of the Armenian serviceman captured in Azerbaijan, stated on his Facebook page that he does not believe Arayik Ghazaryan could have left his combat position. The post is presented below:

"In my opinion, Arayik Ghazaryan, who has found himself in Azerbaijani territory, did not abandon his combat position. I served in the same unit with Arayik. I am convinced he was not hurt, and his honor and dignity were not violated. Before my discharge, I was at their combat position. They all carried out their assigned tasks with great honor. I spoke with Arayik when he was newly drafted into the army. He is a calm and balanced guy. I do not believe he could have left his combat position. The Azerbaijani propaganda machine, as usual, crosses all possible lines. Moreover, I advise against labeling anyone as a 'traitor.' That is wrong. An internal investigation is being conducted."

It is noteworthy that the Artsakh Defense Army reported that on August 12, around 12:00, a serviceman born in 2000, Arayik Hayk Ghazaryan, left his combat position under unclear circumstances from one of the units deployed in the southeastern direction of the Defense Army.