On April 7, 23-year-old Yuri T., wanted by Moscow law enforcement agencies on charges of desertion, was detained and taken to the police station in Yerevan. As a preventive measure in Armenia, military surveillance was chosen for him; the prosecutor's office and the initiators of the search were informed about the discovery of the wanted man.
Later, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia, in response to a request from Armenia Today, reported that the detainee had been released. The issue of extraditing a Russian citizen to Moscow has not been considered, but can be considered “upon receipt of a request for his extradition and if there are sufficient grounds that apply for extradition, in accordance with international treaties,” the department clarified.
Yuri T. is accused in Russia of desertion during the period of partial mobilization. He faces 5 to 10 years in prison. Several such sentences have already been handed down by Russian courts.
Legally, Armenia is an ally of Russia within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). That is why Russian military personnel are in Armenia. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, the number of Russians entering Armenia increased sharply. The second wave of migrants poured there after mobilization was announced. Citizens of the Russian Federation can visit Armenia without a visa and stay there for up to 180 days.
According to Rosstat, from January to September 2022 alone, 49 thousand people moved from Russia to Armenia. The Armenian Ministry of Economy estimated that over the past year, about 300 large companies and 2,500 small companies with Russian capital were registered in the country. Thanks to the influx of Russians fleeing the war in Ukraine and mobilization, Armenia's GDP grew by almost 13%.