Arrested Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan forms a political party
Samvel Karapetyan’s new political force in Armenia
Russian-based businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who is currently under arrest in Armenia on charges of inciting the overthrow of the government, recently announced his intention to create a new political movement. It remains unclear whether Karapetyan himself will lead the process from the National Security Service detention facility. So far, he has only stated that he does not rule out cooperation with like-minded individuals.
Only one of the two opposition parliamentary factions has expressed support for the billionaire’s initiative. The I Have Honour faction, led by former president Serzh Sargsyan, voiced readiness to cooperate. “We consider him a like-minded ally, as he clearly stated that his primary goal is a change of power,” said faction leader Hayk Mamijanyan. The Hayastan faction, headed by another former president, Robert Kocharyan, welcomed Karapetyan’s entry into politics but has not yet expressed willingness to cooperate. “Time will answer all questions,” the Hayastan bloc stated.
The ruling Civil Contract party said it is not alarmed by the creation of a “new force,” but is concerned that “a Russian citizen is attempting to interfere in Armenia’s domestic political affairs.”
“This is not about forming a new political force, but about repackaging old ones. In essence, there will be no significant change in the political process,” said Robert Ghevondyan, a political analyst at the Center for Security Policy Studies.
In addition to the charge of inciting seizure of power, Karapetyan is now facing new accusations, including “large-scale money laundering,” “organising large-scale tax evasion,” and “organising large-scale fraud.” His lawyers claim all four charges are baseless and insist that Karapetyan is being subjected to “political persecution.”
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“The country must be governed by professionals“
Narek Karapetyan, nephew of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, posted a video on Facebook commenting on the formation of a new political force. According to him, the initiative is based on the following principle:
“If there is a professional in the governance system who knows their job and has clean hands, regardless of their political views, they must play an important role in the country’s development. The strategy that has been in place until now will not be effective in 2030. We must be ready for entirely different challenges.”
Narek Karapetyan believes the new force is capable of managing the country more professionally. The first step, he says, will be to depoliticise the state administration system:
“Ministries must be structures founded solely on professionalism. Success is impossible with a politicised government apparatus.”
He also insists on involving the best specialists in the state system — both local experts and members of the Armenian diaspora abroad. In his view, experienced business leaders should be included in this process:
“Many say that business shouldn’t be involved in the state apparatus. But then who should manage large government structures if not those who have the necessary experience? Only corporate leaders have the experience of managing teams of 5,000–10,000 employees. That’s how it works in the US, in Europe, and even in Russia,” emphasised the nephew of the detained businessman.
On July 14, Samvel Karapetyan announced that “the process of forming a new political team has begun.” He stressed his respect for other political forces, but added: “We have our own vision for building a better future for Armenia. And we will follow our own path, with our new team, not ruling out cooperation with like-minded forces in domestic politics. We will try to unite the people around just and noble goals.” Earlier, the businessman had stated that: “Nikol Pashinyan and his government have no place in Armenia and should have no role in the future of the Armenian people.”
“Do they want to pull the strings of puppets?” — Pashinyan
During his press conference the day before, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the political ambitions of Samvel Karapetyan. He reminded that under Armenian law, individuals holding foreign citizenship cannot run for prime minister or become members of parliament.
“What else are they up to? Do they want to create a political force in Armenia so they can run the country from behind the scenes, like pulling the strings of puppets? Armenia is not a free-for-all or a puppet theatre,” Pashinyan said.
He stressed that Karapetyan can only serve on a city council — and only if he’s officially registered in Armenia.
According to Pashinyan, the businessman’s political statements are nothing but a “fake narrative.” He claimed Karapetyan is making such declarations in an attempt to present himself as a victim of politically motivated persecution.
Commentary by political analyst Robert Ghevondyan
“Taking advantage of Armenia’s democratic system, Samvel Karapetyan, a citizen of an authoritarian state, is attempting to present himself as a politician. Although this may seem illogical, it is politically and legally permissible. But what exactly are the ‘ideas,’ the ‘path,’ and the ‘team’ he refers to in his statement?
Karapetyan’s political views can be assessed based on his previous statements. In fact, on Armenia’s political stage, Samvel Karapetyan has made two notable appearances.
The first significant public move dates back to 2015, when the leader of the Prosperous Armenia party, Gagik Tsarukyan, took a clearly oppositional stance against the then ruling Republican Party and initiated a political process. However, after a meeting and discussion with Samvel Karapetyan, he retreated.
The second ‘appearance’ on Armenia’s political scene occurred ten years later, in 2025. In June, upon arriving in Armenia, Karapetyan spoke out about tensions between the Armenian authorities and the highest religious leadership. Law enforcement deemed his statement illegal, resulting in Karapetyan being detained in the National Security Service’s detention centre.
Analysing both events and a number of statements from the NSS detention, one can conclude that Karapetyan’s vision of political processes aligns with Armenia’s radical opposition. His foreign policy stance appears to be pro-Russian, while domestically he favours a strong, influential leader and authoritarian relations.
This leads to the assumption that the ‘new force’ Karapetyan proclaims will be made up of people who for the past seven years have actively opposed the strengthening of Armenia’s sovereignty and statehood. They cannot be considered ‘new’ players on the country’s political field, no matter how shadowy their role.
On the other hand, given that between 2018 and 2025 this political faction used nearly all available methods against the government—aiming for a pro-Russian orientation and discrediting democracy—it remains unclear what ‘new path’ Karapetyan will choose.
It seems likely he will try to attract supporters from different factions of the radical opposition to gain votes from the ‘Hayastan’ and ‘I Have Honour’ electoral blocs and secure second place in the 2026 parliamentary elections. This also implies an intensification of conflicts within the radical opposition camp.
It is highly probable that the ‘new force’ will be ‘an old force with the same faces and tactics,’ just repackaged or under a new name.
Essentially, no significant changes in the political process will occur, and the ‘new force’ will merely seek to preserve the current radical opposition’s seats in parliament in 2026.”
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Samvel Karapetyan’s new political force in Armenia
