After the fall of the Soviet Union, the 366th regiment was pulled out of Stepanakert in March 1992 and Ohanyan joined Nagorno-Karabakh's newly formed army, playing a major role in the First Nagorno-Karabakh war against Azerbaijan.[1] In May 1992, Ohanyan participated in the capture of his hometown of Shushi, one of the most significant victories achieved by the Armenian side. He led a force of 400 men against the fortified town from the southwestern direction.[2] He was seriously wounded in action near Chldran, Martakert district in September 1992, with his leg amputated as a result. Following treatment, Ohanyan rejoined the military.
In May 2007, Ohanyan was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defence of Armenia.
Defence minister
After Serzh Sargsyan took office as President of Armenia, he appointed Ohanyan as Minister of Defence on 14 April 2008.[3][4] During Ohanyan's time as Defence Minister, Armenian forces fought with Azerbaijan in the Four-Day War of April 2016, which was the worst outbreak of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh after the 1994 ceasefire and before the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. He was dismissed from his post in October 2016.
Opposition politician (2017)
In February 2017, Ohanyan formed a political coalition with opposition politicians Vartan Oskanian and Raffi Hovannisian and their respective political parties to participate in the 2017 Armenian parliamentary election. The "Ohanian-Raffi-Oskanian" alliance received 32,508 votes in the 2017 election, failing to reach the 5 percent threshold required to enter parliament.[5]
In 2019 and 2020, Ohanyan was called several times to answer the questions of the Armenian parliament's investigative committee on the Four-Day War.[6]
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and aftermath
Ohanyan went to Nagorno-Karabakh to command Armenian forces after the start of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War in September 2020. Although Armenian and Artsakh authorities reported that Ohanyan commanded Armenian forces during the four-day battle for Shusha (which ended in the capture of the town by Azerbaijani forces),[7][8][9] Ohanyan himself later denied this, stating that he only led a detachment of 16 men during the battle.[10] The Azerbaijani Army claimed that they had wounded Ohanyan during the battle, a claim which was denied by the spokesperson of the President of Artsakh.[11] On 11 November, the Baku Military Court initiated a criminal case against him in absentia with the charge of "genocide". Azerbaijan's Ministry of Internal Affairs also put him on their international wanted list.[12][13]
After the end of the war, Ohanyan joined a number of officials in calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, saying that "the independence of the Republic of Armenia, the inviolability of its borders, and the physical existence of the population are endangered" should he not leave.[14]
2021 Armenian parliamentary election
On 5 February 2021, Ohanyan announced his intention to participate in potential snap elections.[15] He participated in the 2021 Armenian parliamentary election as a member of the Armenia Alliance, an electoral coalition led by ex-president Robert Kocharyan.[16] Ohanyan currently leads the Armenia Alliance's parliamentary bloc in the National Assembly of Armenia.[17]
Legal issues
In January 2019, Ohanyan was charged with "overthrowing the constitutional order" in relation to the 2008 Armenian presidential election protests, when army and police forces suppressed mass protests against the election results, resulting in the deaths of 10 people. Ohanyan was serving as Chief of the General Staff at the time. He was tried along with former president Robert Kocharyan, general Yuri Khachaturov, and former security council secretary Armen Gevorgyan, although the trial was delayed in September 2020 due to Ohanyan's participation in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.[18][19] The trial ended in March 2021 after the Constitutional Court of Armenia declared unconstitutional the article of the criminal code under which Ohanyan, Kocharyan, Khachaturov, and Gevorgyan were being tried.[20]
In March 2020, he was charged with embezzlement of state funds during his tenure as defence minister. Ohanyan denies all charges.[21]
^Saribekyan, Gayane (9 May 2021). "Առաջարկում եմ և՛ առաջին, և՛ երրորդ նախագահներին միասնական պայքարել այս իշխանության դեմ. Ռոբերտ Քոչարյան" [I propose that both the first and second presidents struggle in unity against this government - Robert Kocharyan]. «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» Ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 2021-05-14. Former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan was also on the platform. According to the media, he is also going to be on the 'Armenia' alliance's list
