In Armenia, following large-scale searches, pro-Russian politician Samvel Karapetyan, who leads the opposition party "Strong Armenia", has been detained. In total, 36 people have been arrested as part of the investigation.
This is reported by the Armenian Service of "Radio Liberty".
The searches were carried out on Wednesday at the homes and offices of those involved, as well as at the party’s headquarters in Yerevan. According to Armenia’s Investigative Committee, law enforcement officers conducted raids at 65 addresses.
Karapetyan and 35 others have been charged with fraud, embezzlement and money laundering.
According to investigators, the businessman led a criminal group that illegally appropriated more than 23 billion drams (about $64 million) from Armenia’s national electricity company.
The "Strong Armenia" party called the detention an attempt by the government to force Karapetyan to stop blocking the adoption of a new constitution. Azerbaijan is demanding its adoption.
The businessman’s nephew, Narek Karapetyan, who heads the party’s parliamentary group, said the authorities could detain dozens or hundreds of their allies. He said the searches of his home in Yerevan are part of political pressure.
Samvel Karapetyan had already been in prison for six months last year. Criminal charges were brought against him after he criticised Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s actions regarding the Armenian Apostolic Church in June 2025.
Karapetyan owns the "Tashir" group of companies and the "Rio" chain of shopping and entertainment centres in Russia. Previously in Armenia, he was also accused of making public calls to seize power and of violating the country’s territorial integrity. In that case, he was released under a travel ban.