In June 1935, he was dismissed from all his posts and the army and was also expelled from the Communist party. On 3 July 1935, he was arrested and accused of "creating a military-fascist organization in the Red Army" by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR. He was also accused of having a private conversation with a non-party member while drunk and stating, "it is necessary to remove Stalin".Sokolov BV Commissars of fear. Moscow: AST-Press, 2001. S. 78 On 15 October 1935, Bzhishkian was sentenced by the Special Council of the NKVD on charges of involvement in a counter-revolutionary group to 5 years in detention camps. While being sent to the Yaroslavl prison on 22 October 1935, he escaped, but after a few days he was arrested by the NKVD.
