He currently resides in Russia and is wanted in Armenia on charges related to the violence during the 2008 Armenian presidential election protests.

[6] In July 2018, Harutyunyan came under investigation in connection with the violent crackdown during the 2008 Armenian presidential election protests, which occurred during his tenure as minister of defence.

[7] An order issued by Harutyunyan was declassifed, which barracked troops and set up and armed "special groups" before the crackdown on protestors in Yerevan.

[9] An Armenian investigation confirmed that Harutyunyan had received Russian citizenship in 2002, at which time he was Chief of the General Staff.

His entire family members left Azerbaijan after the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including his elder brother Vladimir, who also joined the army.

According to a report by journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, Harutyunyan's sister Zoya Arutyunova currently resides in Kurdamir in central Azerbaijan, and his nephew has served in Nakhchivan in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.