Armenian law enforcement announced on Monday a series of criminal charges against former Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan, who now resides in Russia. Karapetyan, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has accused the premier of treason and vowed to overthrow his administration.
Reports from Russian bloggers earlier suggested Karapetyan, who served as defense minister for a brief three-month period in 2021, was detained by Moscow police on Sunday. However, an Armenian opposition-linked outlet cited Karapetyan as stating he was merely summoned to a police station to review “documents” forwarded from Armenia. According to Karapetyan, Russian law enforcement officials treated the case with “surprise and laughter.”
Armenian authorities have not confirmed whether Russia declined to extradite Karapetyan. Armenia’s Interior Ministry toldAzatutyun that Karapetyan was placed on the country’s wanted list roughly a month ago. He faces charges of abuse of power, illegal entrepreneurship, and “inactivity.” The ministry withheld further details, while the Prosecutor-General’s Office clarified that an Armenian court denied a request for Karapetyan’s arrest, instead imposing a travel ban within Armenia during the investigation.
After being dismissed in November 2021, Karapetyan relocated to Russia, maintaining a low profile until October 2023, when he resurfaced with a video message condemning the Armenian government. He held Pashinyan’s administration responsible for Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military offensive and the subsequent fall of Artsakh, pledging to launch a political movement to “liberate Armenia” from what he described as a “bunch of cowards and amateurs.”
Pashinyan addressed Karapetyan’s accusations during a March press conference, explaining the ex-minister’s removal stemmed from his failure to notify the government about an Azerbaijani attack on Armenia’s border in November 2021. Azerbaijani forces reportedly seized Armenian military positions a day before the attack was reported.
Karapetyan defended himself by asserting he was on a working trip to Dubai at the time and thus “physically unable to report the situation.” He also alleged that Pashinyan had instructed Armenian forces not to retaliate during a separate Azerbaijani incursion in May 2021.
Karapetyan’s controversial tenure extends beyond his time under Pashinyan. A former chief of Armenian military intelligence, he was dismissed from that role in 2016 by then-President Serzh Sargsyan. Pashinyan later appointed him as a national security adviser in 2018 before promoting him to defense minister in August 2021. The recent charges and political turmoil further highlight the ongoing discord within Armenia’s political and military elite.
