Ministry of Defense Neither Confirms Nor Denies News About Helicopters Purchased from 'Patron Davo'

Two months ago, in late January, the Ministry of Defense issued a statement indicating that the Armenian Armed Forces' aviation had been supplemented with modern, multifunctional new helicopters intended for assault, fire support, transportation, and medical operations, reports Hetq.

However, the ministry's announcement did not specify from which company the helicopters were acquired. Meanwhile, Hetq had information that these helicopters were purchased from Davit Galstyan, better known by the nickname 'Patron Davo', who is reportedly under investigation for supplying poor-quality arms to the Ministry of Defense and is involved in several criminal cases.

To verify the information, Hetq sent an inquiry to Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, asking him to confirm or deny our information that the helicopters were acquired from Galstyan's company, Mosston Engineering, as our sources indicated this specific company.

In response to our inquiry, which was signed by the Ministry's Chief Secretary Hamlet Batikyan, the Ministry of Defense refused to provide any information regarding the supplier company for the newly acquired helicopters, citing the confidentiality provisions in the contract that prevent disclosure of such information to third parties.

However, we did not request details about the content of the contract or its specifics from the Ministry of Defense; rather, we asked them to confirm or deny that the helicopters were acquired from the aforementioned individual's company.