Kandaz: Since 2020, the Armenian army has been unable to emerge from a grave psychological state

ArmInfo. The Armenian army has still not recovered from the psychological pressure it found itself in after the 44-day war around Artsakh in the fall of 2020. Legendary Artsakh intelligence officer, holder of the Second Degree Combat Cross, and head of the Strong Armenia security team, Artur Avanesyan (Kandaz), stated this in a conversation with journalists on September 30.

Speaking about why he decided to move from the military to politics by joining the Strong Armenia party, Kandaz noted that there are different methods of struggle, and when there is no military resistance, political struggle begins. "I lost my home, cemeteries, churches, and I don't want Armenia to feel the same pain. I want to show that there is no peace, all of this is just an imitation. Because a Turk remains a Turk. There's a popular saying, "When dealing with a Turk, don't let go of your stick." We don't have that "stick." To achieve this, we need to completely reform the army; it must be armed so that the enemy can no longer issue ultimatums. The military industry must also develop," Kandaz noted.

According to him, today, in the 21st century, war is waged using different methods. He noted that Ukraine is producing its own drones and wondered if Armenia couldn't do the same. "Armenians can do much better. But to do this, we need to unite and mobilize all the country's available resources—both technical and scientific. Only then can we build a strong army and earn the people's trust. After all, without an army, we are nothing. "Meanwhile, today, the Armenian army has not emerged from the psychological pressure it found itself under after 2020-2021," Avanesyan expressed confidence.

The officer explained that the problem lies in the lack of work in this area. In this regard, he also touched on the abolition of the spiritual service in the army, noting that this work could be carried out by chaplains. "Therefore, I believe that abolishing the spiritual service was a mistake. They (chaplains - ed.) had a great influence on our servicemen," Kandaz emphasized.

Furthermore, he pointed to the need to change the model of the Armenian army. In this vein, he also condemned the reduction in the length of military service by the country's authorities. He recalled that the program they presented envisaged a transition to a professional army. "As a result, in two years we could have an army that would be second to no one in the region." "It's also crucial today to boost morale. This is achieved through the presence of good commanders in the army, particularly those who took part in the war," Avanesyan concluded.

As a reminder, starting January 1, 2026, the mandatory military service in Armenia will be reduced from 24 months to 18 months. This initiative was condemned by opposition representatives, who claimed it was a pre-election move. They pointed out that the changes were made in jest, and therefore failed to take into account numerous security concerns.

It should be added that Defense Minister Suren Papikyan signed a decree abolishing the Spiritual Service of the Armenian Apostolic Church within the Ministry of Defense, effective February 1, 2026.

Lawyer Ara Zohrabyan pointed out that with this decision, the minister violated the requirement of Article 10 of the Law "On Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church," according to which the AAC has the right to have a permanent spiritual representative in military units. As a result of this decree, of the 42 two-person chaplaincy of the Primate, only 8 can continue serving in the Armenian Armed Forces.