Russians who left for Armenia said they noticed they were being followed

Russians who left for Armenia for political reasons due to fears of persecution have begun to notice surveillance in recent weeks, the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor human rights organization reports .

According to human rights activists, Russian citizens who approached them noticed people dressed in Russian military uniforms near their places of residence, who “openly harassed them” and “demanded information about who lived in the apartments under their control.”

Human rights activists found out that the people dressed in military uniforms used an unregistered car with Armenian license plates, intended "exclusively for operational and reconnaissance operations." They note that such surveillance requires the consent of the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia or other law enforcement agencies.

The Armenian Interior Ministry, as Radio Liberty writes , reported that the human rights activists' statement about the probable surveillance of the Russians did not mention the car's number. As soon as the department receives the necessary data, it will begin an investigation, the Interior Ministry said. The Armenian Prosecutor's Office also stated that it would conduct an investigation, but the human rights activists have not yet received a response, Radio Liberty writes.

The Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor claims that not only Russians but also Armenian citizens who are "clearly critical of the policies of the Russian authorities" have become targets of surveillance.

• In December 2023, Russian military police officers detained Russian citizen Dmitry Setrakov in Armenia, who deserted from the army in April and left the country in November to avoid fighting in Ukraine. After his arrest, Setrakov was taken to the territory of a Russian military base in the city of Gyumri, and then taken back to Russia. His current location is unknown. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the actions of Russian security forces on the country's territory illegal.