Generals' Reaction to Pashinyan's Statement on Air Defense

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated from the podium of the National Assembly yesterday, "According to the law, the Armenian side must connect to the Armenian-Russian joint air defense system upon the order of the leadership, but there has been a case where it did not connect."

In an interview with Oragir.News, former Chief of Staff of the RA Armed Forces and former Chief Military Inspector, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan commented on Pashinyan's statement, saying, "The joint air defense system is activated by the order of the RA leader, and he himself is the one giving the order. The air defense system is applied in case of border violations, but I do not recall an instance where an order was given and the air defense was not activated. Anytime you give an order, there should be engagement; it is not limited to times when a state of martial law has been declared. The air defense system is in a state of constant readiness for both peaceful and wartime situations. In general, for the military, there is no distinction between peaceful and wartime periods when it comes to the use of arms; weapons are used when necessary."

The media outlet also spoke to former Deputy Chief of Staff of the RA Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Tiran Khachatryan, who similarly noted that he is not aware of any such incident. "I do not recall him giving an order for joint activation and it not being implemented," he stated.