Kocharyan says Pashinyan rejected Russian ceasefire proposal knowing war was lost

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan claimed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rejected a Russian proposal to halt the 2020 Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war on October 18-19 despite being fully aware that defeat was imminent.

In an interview with the 5th Channel aired on Sunday, Kocharyan said the Armenian army’s General Staff had reported that it lacked the resources to continue fighting, yet Pashinyan chose to press on “so that no one would call him a traitor”.

“That decision cost the Armenian people at least 2,500 more deaths and 5,000–6,000 wounded. Is that what a leader does?” he asked.

Kocharyan stressed that from the third day of the war he realized defeat was inevitable and repeatedly urged Karabakh leaders to seek an end to hostilities.

The ex-president also criticized Pashinyan’s leadership and military appointments, saying key command positions were filled with loyal but inexperienced officers, leading to poor coordination and supply failures during the 44-day war.