The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, after a consistent, active struggle to detect, prevent and thwart intelligence activities against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, territorial integrity, foreign security of the Republic of Armenia by the special services of foreign states, has revealed a case of high treason.

In particular:

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia has obtained sufficient information that M.S., a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, was in Istanbul, Turkey, for work abroad in 2015, appearing in the field of view of the Azerbaijani intelligence services operating in that country and recruiting their employees. Upon his return to Armenia in 2019, he received an offer for money to obtain information on the external security of the Republic of Armenia and the Artsakh Republic, the Armed Forces, armaments or to transfer information already available to him, including army personnel, weapons and ammunition, including about  the quantity and type of military equipment, military units and their command staff, defense zones, engineering structures, equipment, and recently also human casualties, etc., which he accepted and carried out the assigned tasks and received various sums of money as a reward, thus providing assistance to foreign special services to carry out hostile activities to the detriment of the territorial integrity and external security of the Republic of Armenia.

Moreover, in order to carry out certain tasks, the M.S., continuing to carry out his criminal intent, removed the restrictions on military service through double medical examination, took measures to enlist in the RA Armed Forces, thus gathering information again and carrying out hostile activities, to transfer to another state, which, however, he failed to do, as the relevant authorities rejected his application for employment.

A criminal case was initiated in the RA National Security Service on the grounds of the crime envisaged by Article 299, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code, within the framework of which M.S. was arrested on suspicion of committing high treason directly, during which he confessed.

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia is conducting a consistent struggle to prevent, thwart and reveal crimes against the security of the state and the basis of constitutional principles.

At the same time, the National Security Service expects the involvement of the general public in this process, to disclose to the authorities the information they have learned about treason or espionage, in favor of the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia.

Note: A person that is suspected or accused of an alleged crime is considered innocent until his/her guilt is proved by a court judgment that has come into legal effect pursuant to the procedure determined by RA Criminal Procedure Code.