Movses Hranti Hakobyan ( hy, Մովսես Հրանտի Հակոբյան; born 4 February 1965) is a former senior Armenian military official and the former commander of
NKR Defense Army and former
Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces. From 19 November 2018 until his resignation on 18 November 2020, Hakobyan served as the Chief Military Inspector of the Armed Forces.
Biography
Hakobyan was born in the town of
Chartar in the
Martuni region of the
Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic th ...
. He graduated from the secondary school of Chartar in 1982 and entered the
Alma-Ata Army Command College in the same year. From 1986 to 1987, he served in the 553rd Motorized Rifle Regiment, based in the
Transcaucasian Military District
The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...
, as an infantry platoon commander. Hakobyan then served in the Soviet armed forces stationed in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
during the
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War was a protracted armed conflict fought in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It saw extensive fighting between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen (alongside smaller groups of anti-Soviet ...
as deputy commander of a rifle company. In 1988, he returned to the Transcaucasian Military District to serve as company commander with the 366th Motorized Rifle Regiment, stationed in
Stepanakert
/ az, Xankəndi, italic=no
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg
, imagesize = 300px
, image_caption = From top left: Holy Mother ...
. After the regiment was pulled out from Stepanakert in March 1992, Hakobyan joined the Nagorno Karabakh Self-Defense Forces.
During the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
he participated in military operations in
Martuni,
Askeran
Askeran ( hy, Ասկերան or , ; az, Əsgəran) is a town ''de facto'' in the Republic of Artsakh as the administrative centre of its Askeran Province, ''de jure'' in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the Political status of Nagorno-Ka ...
,
Martakert
Martakert ( hy, Մարտակերտ, also , ) or Aghdara ( az, Ağdərə ) is a town ''de facto'' in the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as the administrative capital of its Martakert Province, ''de jure'' in the Tartar District of Azerbaijan, in ...
,
Aghdam
Aghdam ( az, Ağdam) is a ghost town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at ...
and was wounded at least three times. Hakobyan was the commander of the battalion of his native village Chartar from July–September 1992. Afterward he served as deputy commander, then the commander, of
Shushi
/ hy, Շուշի
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg
, image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govhar ...
defense district from 1992 to 1993. From September to December 1993, he commanded the defense of Monteaberd (Martuni). Subsequently and until 1998, he was commander of the 2nd Defense District of Martuni and from 1998 to 1999 of 4th Defense District of Askeran. From 1999 to 2001, Hakobyan was deputy commander of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army
The Artsakh Defence Army ( hy, Արցախի Հանրապետության պաշտպանության բանակ, Artsakhi Hanrapetut’yan pashtpanut’yan banak) is the defence force of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Est ...
, in charge of combat readiness.
Following his graduation from Russia's
Academy of the General Staff, on 24 July 2002, Hakobyan was appointed Adviser to the
Defense Minister of Armenia
The Defence Minister of Armenia () is the head of the country's Ministry of Defence, who is charged with the political leadership of the Armed Forces of Armenia. The position was originally created in 1918 and was re-established in January 1992 ...
, and in July 2003, as first deputy commander and chief of staff of the NKR Defense Army. Hakobyan became the Defence Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh on 11 May 2007 by decree of the President of Nagorno-Karabakh
Arkadi Ghukasyan
Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan ( hy, Արկադի Արշավիրի Ղուկասյան, born 22 June 1957) was the second President of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. He was elected as the President on 8 September 1997 and re-elected i ...
, succeeding Seyran Ohanyan.
In June 2015, Hakobyan was appointed deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia. Hakobyan was appointed Chief of the General Staff on 3 October 2016. He was dismissed from this post by newly elected Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan
Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan ( hy, Նիկոլ Վովայի Փաշինյան, ; born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician serving as the prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018.
A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in 1 ...
on 24 May 2018 and appointed Head of the Military Control Service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense (chief military inspector). Hakobyan was dismissed from his post as chief military inspector on 19 November 2019 but later reappointed to the same post.
On 18 November 2020, during the political crisis created by the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement
The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement is an armistice agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It was signed on 9November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Pre ...
, he submitted his resignation from the post of Head of the Military Control Service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense.
[Top military official resigns in Armenia](_blank)
PanARMENIAN.Net, 18 November 2020 Hakobyan gave a press conference following his resignation where he alleged a number of failures by Nikol Pashinyan's government in the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...
.
Hakobyan's press conference became the subject of investigation by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.
On 3 May 2021, Hakobyan was charged with revealing state secrets and summoned by Armenia's
National Security Service for questioning.
Personal life
Hakobyan is married and has two children. His nephew,
Armen Grigoryan
Armen Grigoryan (russian: Армен Григорян, hy, Արմեն Գրիգորյան) is a singer/songwriter, artist, and the front man (and main songwriter) of "Krematorij" (''Crematorium'') Russian rock-band.
Biography
Armen Grigoryan was ...
, has served as the Secretary of the
Security Council of Armenia
The Security Council of Armenia ( hy, Անվտանգության խորհուրդ, translit=Hayastani Anvtangut’yan khorhurd) is the highest decision-making defence and law enforcement body in the Republic of Armenia. The offices of the Security ...
since 17 May 2018.
Awards
*
Hero of Artsakh
Hero of Artsakh ( hy, Արցախի հերոս, Artsakhi heros) is the highest title of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh. According to the official website of the President of Artsakh, the title Hero of Artsakh "is awarded for exceptional se ...
(2 September 2002)
* Order of the Combat Cross, 1st degree
* Order of the Combat Cross, 2nd degree
*
Order of the Combat Cross
Awards and decorations of Armenia are military and civil decorations of Armenia which are bestowed by various agencies of the Armenian government for acts of accomplishment benefiting the government and the Armenian nation as a whole.
National Her ...
, 2nd degree
* Medal "For Services to the Fatherland", 1st degree
* Order of Vardan Mamikonian
*
Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...
*
* Medal "Soldiers-Internationalists"
* Medal "From the Grateful People of Afghanistan"
References
External links
NKR Defense Minister
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hakobyan, Movses
1965 births
Living people
People from the Republic of Artsakh
Armenian generals
Soviet military personnel of the Soviet–Afghan War
Armenian military personnel of the Nagorno-Karabakh War
Heroes of Artsakh
Chiefs of the General Staff (Armenia)
Artsakh military personnel
Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia alumni
Defence ministers of the Republic of Artsakh