Karapetian, who is believed to be in Moscow, from where he periodically releases videos criticizing Armenia’s current leadership, has been formally charged with abuse of power or exceeding official authority.
According to a statement from the Investigative Committee, a preliminary investigation determined that on May 12, 2021, at dawn, “the adversary, taking advantage of low visibility caused by fog, crossed the state border of the Republic of Armenia in the area of Lake Sev from the inter-positional space between Armenian combat posts, advancing 3 to 3.5 kilometers deep into Armenian territory, reaching the rear of Armenian positions and seizing advantageous heights.”
The statement said that between May 14 and 16, Karapetian, then serving as first deputy chief of the army’s General Staff, acted beyond his authority and issued an “unfounded verbal order” to abandon combat positions. Investigators said this decision, made through negligence, resulted in “serious material consequences.”
“As a result, Armenian units withdrew from their positions on May 16, and on the following day, Azerbaijani forces took control of those positions and refused to retreat from what is Armenia’s sovereign territory,” the committee said.
An Armenian court earlier ordered Karapetian’s arrest, and the 58-year-old retired major general has been placed on the wanted list on several charges, including “illegal entrepreneurial activities.”
In December 2024, Russian law enforcement authorities briefly detained Karapetian in Moscow.
Karapetian served for about three years as an adviser to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian before being appointed defense minister in August 2021. He was dismissed from the post later that year and subsequently accused Pashinian of treason, alleging that the prime minister’s actions had led to the destruction of Nagorno-Karabakh’s defense army.
Karapetian has claimed that he was removed from his post for refusing to allow Azerbaijani forces to advance. His dismissal in November 2021 followed a series of deadly border incidents.
