In Yerevan, Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan was detained. He was charged with public calls to seize power

Law enforcement agencies of Armenia presented the owner of the Russian group of companies Tashir, billionaire Samvel Karapetyan accusations of public calls to seize power (Article 422 of the Criminal Code of Armenia). This was reported by News.am with reference to a statement of lawyers.

Karapetyan was detained at night in Yerevan. The night before, a search was held in his mansion. “A group of persons was detained. Operational actions are being carried out, ”the Hetq publication in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia told . On the morning of June 18, the News-Armenia agency reported that Samvel Karapetyan and his brother Karen were detained-the security forces took them from home at night, who gathered a crowd of businessman's supporters.

The pro-government Telegram channel Bagramyan 26 claims that the relatives of Samvel Karapetyan, detained with him, left the police building. News.am writes that the billionaire was taken to the Investigative Committee of Armenia and a criminal case has been instituted against him.

Update: On the evening of June 18, the court in Yerevan arrested Samvel Karapetyan.

Before leaving the house, accompanied by security forces, Karapetyan said that he supported the Armenian church and the people. “I wanted to spit on them and their“ power networks ”,” the “news-Armenia” quotes the words of the billionaire, who, among other things, belongs to the company “Electric Networks of Armenia” (ESA).

The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan reacted to this phrase. On his Facebook page, he called for Esa to nationalize:

“He says: I don't give a damn about them and the“ electrical networks of Armenia ”. That is, these people did not even consider Esa their property, they do not give a damn about this institution of strategic significance, consumers and employees, because if the “electrical networks of Armenia” are not them, then whose? Consumers and employees, that is, people, since the entire population is either consumers or ESA employees.

I think that the moment has come when CJSC “Electric Networks of Armenia” should be nationalized (belong to the state). This will happen quickly, and I instruct all ESA employees to conscientiously fulfill their labor duties. ”

Meanwhile, the Armenian media distributed the statement by Samvel Karapetyan, in which he accused the authorities of Armenia of insolvency, rejection of healthy criticism, the desire to suppress dissent, as well as hatred of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC). The businessman emphasized that Armenia and her people will always be at the center of his interests.

Conflict around the church

On June 17, shortly before the security forces came to the Karapetyan house, the newspaper News.am published a businessman’s statement, in which he threatened to intervene in the conflict unfolding between Nikol Pashinyan and the head of the AAC Garen II. The Prime Minister is trying to overthrow the Catholicos, accusing him of violating the vow of celibacy and the unworthy of the clergyman of the behavior.

“A small group of people, forgetting the history of Armenia, the history of the Armenian Church for millennia, attacked the Armenian church, on the Armenian people. Since I have always been on the side of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people, I will take a direct part. If politicians do not succeed, then we will participate in all this in our own way, ”said Karapetyan.

The businessman maintains close ties with the AAC. According to the Armenian media, hepaid for restoration work in Echmiadzin - the monastery complex near Yerevan, where the residence of the Catholicos is located. Last year, Karapetyan was awarded the title of “godfather of the Blessing of the Miro” - this is one of the highest honors in the Armenian church.

On June 18, answering the question of journalists about the statement of Karapetyan, Pashinyan said that he sees a threat to the Armenian state:

“The statement by Samvel Karapetyan was not about the church, but about the Republic of Armenia. It seems that some people can come to Armenia from somewhere and resolve issues here with their methods. Armenia has concrete reaction levers, and I will not tolerate someone to allow himself to say this. Armenia is a democratic country, here everyone has the right to express an opinion and hold meetings, but no one can threaten our country. No matter how democracy is developed, I will take the most stringent and harsh measures in any such case. ”

Meanwhile, the Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan stood up for Karapetyan. “Pashinyan, pretending that he is the capital of all Armenians, right now in Armenia is trying to arrest a real radionder of all Armenians, Samvel Karapetyan. For the fact that he met with the spiritual leader of the Armenians, Catholicos Garein II, ” wrote Simonyan.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova promised that the Russian authorities would monitor compliance with the rights of the detained businessman: “Moscow is closely monitoring the situation around the Russian citizen Karapetyan, who is threatened in Yerevan almost with arrest under strange prepositions.”

59-year-old Samvel Karapetyan, a native of Armenia, but his main business, a group of companies Tashir, is registered in Russia.According to the Russian Forbes, the total revenue of the group in 2024 exceeded 260 billion rubles. The state of Karapetyan is estimated at $ 3.2 billion.