The arrest measure against Armenian intelligence officer Artur Avanesyan, who committed military crimes against Azerbaijan in Karabakh for many years, has been changed.
Medianews.az reports that by the decision of the Yerevan court, Artur Avanesyan, known by the nickname "Kandaz," has been released to house arrest and a pledge not to leave the country has been selected as a measure against him. He had been detained within the framework of a criminal case concerning election violations and voter manipulation during the election process in April 2026.
Artur Avanesyan is a reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Armenia. According to Armenian sources, he is a participant in the Karabakh wars and has been involved in intelligence-sabotage (criminal) activities for many years.
According to information in Armenian sources, Avanesyan joined the fights against Azerbaijani forces in Karabakh since 1991. He initially served as a sniper and later worked as an intelligence officer.
In one of his interviews, Avanesyan stated that during the first phase of the Karabakh war, he killed two Azerbaijanis in the Agdere direction. He also revealed that he infiltrated the rear front of the Azerbaijani Army, participated in sabotage operations, and carried out tasks related to mining Azerbaijani positions.
According to him, in 1997, he conducted a mine-sabotage operation against Azerbaijani positions. Avanesyan also confessed that he collected military-intelligence information about the Azerbaijani side for many years.
"Kandaz" stated that he also participated in the battles of the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020. He said he was involved in defending Armenian forces in the Levonarx direction and conveyed the information he gathered to the Armenian military command.
Avanesyan declared that he was also present in the region during Azerbaijan's localized anti-terrorist operations in Karabakh in September 2023.//Musavat.com