{"id":5626,"date":"2025-05-16T16:17:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T13:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/?p=5626"},"modified":"2025-05-21T15:34:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T12:34:37","slug":"allegorija-istiny-i-obmana-44-h-dnevnoj-vojny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/2025\/05\/16\/allegorija-istiny-i-obmana-44-h-dnevnoj-vojny\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAn Allegory Truth and Deception\u201d and the 44-Day War"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div style='padding-bottom:10px;font-size:30px;' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h3  blockquote modern-quote modern-centered  av-inherit-size'><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  >\u201cAn Allegory Truth and Deception\u201d and the 44-Day War<\/h3><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-align-center'  itemprop=\"ImageObject\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/allegorija.jpg' alt='\u041a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u041a\u0440\u0438\u0441\u043f\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0432\u0430\u043d \u0434\u0435\u043d \u0411\u0440\u043e\u043a\u0430 \u00ab\u0410\u043b\u043b\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0440\u0438\u044f \u0438\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043d\u044b \u0438 \u043e\u0431\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0430\u00bb' title='\u041a\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u041a\u0440\u0438\u0441\u043f\u0438\u043d\u0430 \u0432\u0430\u043d \u0434\u0435\u043d \u0411\u0440\u043e\u043a\u0430 \u00ab\u0410\u043b\u043b\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0440\u0438\u044f \u0438\u0441\u0442\u0438\u043d\u044b \u0438 \u043e\u0431\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0430\u00bb'   itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Flemish painter Crispijn van den Broeck\u2019s renowned work, An Allegory of Truth and Deception, portrays two female figures embodying Truth and Deception. In the painting, Deception is clothed and holds a stone marked with a skull\u2014symbolizing the hidden, deadly impact deception can carry.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"translation-block\">During the 44-day war in Artsakh, \u043f\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0432\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c \u041c\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0440\u043e\u043d\u044b \u0410\u0440\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0438 <strong>Artsrun Hovhannisyan<\/strong>, the representative of Armenia\u2019s Ministry of Defense, came to personify Deception. Capitalizing on the public\u2019s trust in Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s post-\u201cvelvet revolution\u201d government, Hovhannisyan repeatedly misled the population about the realities on the battlefield, reinforcing false hopes with the slogan \u201cWe Will Win!\u201d This fueled widespread misconceptions about the likelihood of an Artsakh Defense Army victory.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>On October 10, 2020, Artsrun Hovhannisyan delivered a message to Armenians around the world, stating:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWe have no oil or gas reserves, but we have young people who heroically defend our Motherland, sacrificing their lives. We have no sea, but we have a heroic nation protecting the home front. After all, unlike our enemy, we don\u2019t have a population of 10 million\u2014but we do have 10 million Armenians across the globe. We have our Diaspora. I\u2019m speaking not just to 10 million Armenians, but to 10 million fighters, 10 million who give everything, and 10 million winners. I want each and every one of you to feel as if you're in the fight with us\u2014to get into the trenches and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-video avia-video-16-9'  itemprop=\"video\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\" ><div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u0531\u0580\u056e\u0580\u0578\u0582\u0576 \u0540\u0578\u057e\u0570\u0561\u0576\u0576\u056b\u057d\u0575\u0561\u0576\u0568 \u056f\u0578\u0579\u0578\u057e \u0564\u056b\u0574\u0578\u0582\u0574 \u0567 10 \u0574\u056c\u0576 \u0570\u0561\u0575\u0565\u0580\u056b\u0576\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/E3VwNI76mvc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Diaspora responded to the call. Numerous organizations and individuals mobilized to collect aid for Artsakh. Volunteers around the world approached Armenian diplomatic missions, expressing their willingness to join the army. There is ample evidence that representatives of embassies and consular offices in the Diaspora assured them there was no need for additional manpower, claiming the Armenian Army had the situation on the frontline under control. At the same time, they encouraged people to donate to the \u201cHayastan\u201d All-Armenian Fund or the Military Insurance Fund.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" class=\"translation-block\">In addition, in the early days of the war, a law was adopted banning mercenary activity, which created obstacles for Russian volunteers who wished to defend Artsakh. In this context, <a href=\"https:\/\/tsargrad.tv\/news\/russkie-dobrovolcy-otkazali-armenii-iz-za-ssha-dobrovolcev-ochen-zhdut-v-karabahe-no_293941\" target=\"_self\">Aleksandr Borodai, Chairman of the Union of Donbas Volunteers, stated<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cApparently, Nikol Pashinyan is not a thief\u2014but unfortunately, that\u2019s his only virtue. He is part of an American spy network. The current leadership in Armenia is, to put it mildly, not friendly toward Russia. I\u2019m addressing all volunteers now: don\u2019t go anywhere. Of course, Karabakh needs our Russian volunteers, but there\u2019s no point in heading there while an unfriendly, pro-Western government remains in power in Yerevan. By the way, they recently passed a law criminalizing mercenary activity. Very timely! Stay home until the political situation changes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Throughout the war, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, the Armenian Defense Ministry\u2019s representative, regularly posted updates on his Facebook page using the hashtag \u201cWe Will Win\u201d (Armenian: \u00ab\u0540\u0561\u0572\u0569\u0565\u056c\u0578\u0582 \u0565\u0576\u0584\u00bb). During press briefings and television appearances, Hovhannisyan repeatedly assured the public that the Armenian Army was delivering heavy blows to enemy forces and military equipment, fostering the impression that victory was inevitable. At the same time, he downplayed the losses suffered by the Armenian side, referring to them as \u201ctactical retreats\u201d or \u201crelocating to more advantageous positions.\u201d For instance, on October 20, 2020, Hovhannisyan wrote on Facebook:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cRetreat is not defeat. There were retreats in 1918 and 1941. There was a retreat in 1992 as well. Yes, there have been retreats\u2014but victories followed each of them. We will witness another victory soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Meanwhile, on October 20, 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced the capture of Kovsakan (Zangelan).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>It\u2019s enough to remember the bravado surrounding the so-called \u201cOperation Gyorbagyor\u201d and the \u201cZangelan Trap,\u201d or the publication of images claimed to show a destroyed airport in Ganja\u2014which were later revealed to be photos of a destroyed airport in Luhansk\u2014to grasp the extent of the misinformation campaign.<\/p>\n<div class='avia-iframe-wrap'><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u00ab\u0413\u0435\u0440\u0431\u0430\u0433\u0435\u0440 2020\u00bb \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043e\u043b\u0436\u0430\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f. \u0410\u0440\u0446\u0440\u0443\u043d \u041e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043d\u0438\u0441\u044f\u043d\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aLPGya73S44?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"translation-block\">On October 9, 2020, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation, announcing that their army had taken control of several settlements in Nagorno-Karabakh, including Hadrut.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.president.az\/upload\/1960x1292\/2022\/04\/29\/1651226793_d6d023e5bc206da0d81b751e772c21f0.jpg\" alt=\"Picture background\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.radiosputnik.ru\/images\/07e4\/07\/0f\/1574369685_0:0:3108:1749_1920x0_80_0_0_806d32cb84d5c61ba22058e98876566f.jpg\" alt=\"Picture background\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Hovhannisyan continued posting on Facebook:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI am currently in Hadrout and I can see only Armenians here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Later, after his dismissal, Artsrun Hovhannisyan attempted to justify his statements by claiming that all his wartime reports were based on information provided by the General Staff and the Defense Army.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p>It was only after the war that it became clear Aliyev had been telling the truth, while Artsrun Hovhannisyan had been misleading the public.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div class='avia-image-container  av-styling- av-hover-grow   avia-align-left'  itemprop=\"ImageObject\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/arcrun_radio-svoboda.png' alt='\u0410\u0440\u0446\u0440\u0443\u043d \u0438 \u0410\u043d\u043d\u0430 \u0410\u043a\u043e\u043f\u044f\u043d \u043d\u0430 \u0431\u0430\u043b\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435 \u0420\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043e &quot;\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0434\u0430&quot;' title='\u0410\u0440\u0446\u0440\u0443\u043d \u0438 \u0410\u043d\u043d\u0430 \u0410\u043a\u043e\u043f\u044f\u043d \u043d\u0430 \u0431\u0430\u043b\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0435 \u0420\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043e &quot;\u0421\u0432\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0434\u0430&quot;'   itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_two_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 21px;\">A media report later revealed that Artsrun Hovhannisyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s spouse, Anna Hakobyan, were seen discussing the wartime agenda on the balcony of the Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty (Azatutyun) office. It turned out that the strategy for state wartime propaganda was not set by the General Staff or Armenia\u2019s Security Council, but was instead shaped by the Prime Minister\u2019s spouse\u2014at a media outlet funded by the U.S. Department of State.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It\u2019s no exaggeration to say that, during those days, the Armenian public anxiously awaited the regular press briefings of Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan, trusting him as the most reliable source of information about the situation on the Artsakh frontline. That\u2019s why many were left shocked and disheartened when, on November 9, 2020, Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan made the following announcement:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cDefense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan will not be hosting his regular briefing today. He will be replaced by Suren Sarumyan, a representative of the Artsakh Defense Army.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That same day, the Armenian public was suddenly confronted with the harsh reality of defeat in the war\u2014confirmed by the joint statement of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia, signed on November 9, 2020<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Artsrun Hovhannisyan\u2019s deception had turned out to be as unexpected as it was devastating for Artsakh.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section\"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'   itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">P.S. In the aftermath of the war, Artsrun Hovhannisyan and Styopa Safaryan were spotted enjoying themselves in Milan\u2014sipping coffee, smoking cigars, and seemingly at peace with their \u201cfulfilled duty.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first\" style='border-radius:0px; '><div class='avia-image-container  av-styling- av-hover-grow   avia-align-left'  itemprop=\"ImageObject\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/arcrun-ovannisjan-i-stjopa-safarjan.jpg' alt='\u0410\u0440\u0446\u0440\u0443\u043d \u041e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043d\u0438\u0441\u044f\u043d \u0438 \u0421\u0442\u0451\u043f\u0430 \u0421\u0430\u0444\u0430\u0440\u044f\u043d' title='\u0410\u0440\u0446\u0440\u0443\u043d \u041e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043d\u0438\u0441\u044f\u043d \u0438 \u0421\u0442\u0451\u043f\u0430 \u0421\u0430\u0444\u0430\u0440\u044f\u043d'   itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Artsrun Hovhannisyan\u2019s deception had turned out to be as unexpected as it was devastating for Artsakh. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[163,157,159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materialy-tribunala","category-news","category-rassledovanie"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5626"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5694,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5626\/revisions\/5694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/armtribunal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}