Russian sources present a very small number of Armenian soldiers and officers killed in the defense and victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. Former Prime Minister of Artsakh and candidate for president in 2020, Arayik Harutyunyan, wrote this on his Facebook page, appealing to Armenia’s Foreign Minister and interested bodies to review this distorted historical fact.

"The 75th anniversary of the glorious victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War will soon be marked, to which we all know about the significant participation of the Armenian people," Harutyunyan noted, in particular. “According to factual sources, 200,000 Armenian soldiers and officers were killed for the protection and victory of the Soviet country. And some sources say the number of casualties and missing is more than 314,000.

However, sadly, Russian sources say that the death toll from Armenia was only 83,700 (...), which, in my view, is not the result of intentional work, but improper cooperation between the relevant authorities.

I would like to publicly appeal to Mr. [Zohrab] Mnatsakanyan [Armenia’s FM] and all interested organizations with a request to review this distorted historical fact."

Arayik Harutyunyan added that is very important for Armenian people to restore this truth.