Russian–Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan has been placed in pre-trial detention on charges of calling for the usurpation of power in Armenia. This follows remarks he had made in support of the church amidst ongoing tensions between the government and the church.
Karapetyan was given two months of pre-trial detention on Wednesday. If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison.
Karapetyan’s lawyers called the criminal proceedings ‘unlawful’ and said that Karapetyan maintains his innocence. They also vowed to appeal the ruling.
The Armenian authorities raided Karapetyan’s home in Yerevan after he made his statements in defence of the Armenian Apostolic Church amidst ongoing tensions between it and the government.
Tensions between Pashinyan and the Church reached an all-time high after Pashinyan claimed in late May that churches had become ‘storerooms’ and that clergymen were breaking their vows of celibacy. Pashinyan additionally accused Karekin II of having a child.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Following Karapetyan’s interview, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote a series of social media posts insulting both the Church and the billionaire, vowing to ‘deactivate them again. And forever’.
Karapetyan is a major benefactor of the Armenian Church and was a main sponsor of the yearslong renovation of Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the seat of the Armenian Church.
On Wednesday, as Karapetyan stood trial, a group of clergymen, including the brother of Catholicos Karekin II, Archbishop Yezras Nersisyan, demonstrated outside the court in support of the billionaire.
Archbishop Nersisyan serves as the Primate of the Diocese of Russia and New Nakhichevan.
After the court ruled to place Karapetyan in pre-trial detention, the Armenian Church issued a statement condemning the decision, calling it ‘yet another manifestation of the prime minister’s anti-church actions, aimed at using fear and threats to deprive the Armenian Church of the support of its faithful flock’.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
Karapetyan’s assets at risk
On Wednesday, Pashinyan vowed to ‘swiftly’ nationalise Karapetyan’s Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA), which is run by Karapetyan’s Tashir Group.
He claimed the move was not related to statements Karapetyan had made in support of the church, but instead cited public discontent with the company's services and frequent power outages in Armenia, which Pashinyan alleged were intentionally used ‘to generate internal public discontent in Armenia’.
Later that day the Armenian authorities claimed that employees of the ENA ‘are being guided to participate in a rally in Yerevan’ in support of Karapetyan. Following this statement, Pashinyan threatened to dismiss those ‘forcing’ employees to take part in the protests. He also promised to reward and protect those who refuse to protest and ‘cooperate with law enforcement officers’ within the company.
After Karapetyan was detained, Armenian authorities fined the ENA ֏10 million ($26,000) ‘for technical and commercial violations’, the Public Services Regulatory Commission announced. The Food Safety Inspection Body also carried out searches in all 30 branches of Tashir Pizza, a popular pizza chain belonging to Karapetyan, shutting down several branches for ‘gross violations of sanitary and hygienic standards’.
Russia steps in
Russia swiftly responded to the Armenian authority’s actions against Karapetyan, who holds Russian citizenship and is a prominent businessperson who built his wealth in Russia. According to TASS, Karapetyan’s fortune ‘is almost comparable to half of the Armenian state budget’, amounting to $3.2 billion.
Following the raids at Karapetyan’s house Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov called the Armenian government ‘corrupt, vile, worthless’ and accused it of betraying ‘the history of Armenia’. He also called Pashinyan ‘Turkol’ — a portmanteau of his first name, Nikol, and Turk — as an insult.
‘Do the people of Armenia still have any say in the fate of the country, or will they soon suffer the same fate that befell Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh]?’, Solovyov asked on his TV programme, air on Russia 1.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan appeared to allude to Solovyov’s remarks, saying ‘there were unacceptable calls, distorted assessments, and insults — including personal ones’ being directed at the Armenian authorities.
According to Mirzoyan, similar remarks were made by other Russian politicians, inducing MPs from Russia’s ruling party, United Russia.
‘We, the Republic of Armenia, consider this not only contradictory to the traditional Armenia–Russia friendship and the legal documents that enshrine or regulate that friendship but also as a direct blatant interference in the internal affairs of [...] Armenia and an encroachment on our sovereignty and democracy’, Mirzoyan said.
Armenian Parliamentary Speaker earlier shared Solovyov’s commentary, criticising it by saying: ‘Such outbursts on a state TV channel cause serious damage to the relations between our countries, and only elicit deep disgust among the population of Armenia’.
Earlier, citing Karapetyan’s Russian citizenship, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russian state news agency RIA that they were ‘closely monitoring’ the situation, and would provide him ‘with the necessary assistance so that all his legal rights are respected’.
Russia’s ‘hybrid war’
On Wednesday, during a press briefing, the Pashinyan said that there was ‘a big likelihood’ that some circles in Russia and other countries ‘are behind these hybrid actions and hybrid war’ against Armenia.
At the same time, he underscored his disbelief that ‘such an action could take place against Armenia from the Kremlin or the Russian government’.
According to Armenpress, Pashinyan’s remarks on this ‘hybrid war’ came in response to a question asking whether he thought Karapetyan’s statements were part of ‘Russia’s hybrid war against Armenia’.
On 17 June the Insider wrote that a pro-Kremlin bot network, Matryoshka, has been targeting Pashinyan since 12 June, with some being ‘disguised as reports from major outlets like Euronews or France 24, while others fake interviews with university professors from around the world’.
Earlier in May, Parliamentary Speaker Simonyan said that ‘a hybrid war is being waged against Armenia’ by Russia and ‘warn[ed]’ that the war would ‘become even more active in 2026’, when Armenia will hold its parliamentary election.
Arshaluys Barseghyan
