A billionaire with Russian citizenship wants to run for prime minister of Armenia

Billionaire Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan, currently under house arrest in Yerevan, has been declared a candidate for prime minister by the Strong Armenia party in the parliamentary elections scheduled for June. The new party announced the announcement at its presentation.

Samvel Karapetyan holds dual citizenship, which, according to Armenian law, precludes him from serving as prime minister or being elected as an MP. His entourage has announced their intention to initiate legislative amendments to overcome this barrier. Current regulations require prime ministerial candidates to hold exclusively Armenian citizenship for the past four years and permanently reside in the country.

Meanwhile, Strong Armenia is actively campaigning, opening offices and organizing meetings. The Armenian newspaper Hraparak notes that this activity is causing concern among the current government, which, according to the newspaper, is using its leverage to counteract him. Government officials are reportedly pressuring the owners of premises leased by Karapetyan's party to terminate their leases.

Karapetyan was arrested in June 2025 after speaking out in defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church (following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's criticism of church representatives). The businessman is accused of calling for a coup d'état and advocating for Armenia's close integration with Russia. He was subsequently placed under house arrest.

Последние новости
An Ingush refugee whose extradition Russia had requested has been released in Croatia
Human rights
An Ingush refugee whose extradition Russia had requested has been released in Croatia
12 June 2026

Magomed-Amin Gatagazhev, a native of Ingushetia, was released after eight months in a Croatian immigration prison. Russian authorities had requested his extradition. The refugee was accepted by the neighboring republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Following Moscow's criticism, Karapetyan demanded the annulment of the Armenian election results
Politics
Following Moscow's criticism, Karapetyan demanded the annulment of the Armenian election results
12 June 2026

The Strong Armenia party, affiliated with Russian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan, sent a request to the Central Electoral Commission demanding the annulment of the Armenian parliamentary election results.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the release of Azerbaijani independent press representatives
Human rights
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the release of Azerbaijani independent press representatives
12 June 2026

The International Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed strong disapproval of the prison terms requested by the prosecutor for nine activists and journalists from Toplum TV, which range from 13 to 16 years. Gulnoza Said, CPJ program coordinator, emphasized that such harsh punishments demonstrate the Azerbaijani authorities' desire to respond to courageous reporting and sow a climate of fear.
Muslim Murdiyev's mother called on the president and the head of Chechnya to protect him in prison
Human rights
Muslim Murdiyev's mother called on the president and the head of Chechnya to protect him in prison
11 June 2026

15-year-old Chechen boy Muslim Murdiyev was transferred from a Moscow pretrial detention center to a juvenile correctional facility in the Volgograd region. The boy's mother appealed to Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov, asking them to ensure her son's safety.