3 arrested in Armenia amid allegations of coup attempt

The Investigative Committee of Armenia announced on Wednesday that they have arrested three individuals and are seeking four others in connection with a coup plot to seize power in the country.

According to Arman Press, among the arrested and wanted suspects are five Armenian citizens and two former residents of Karabakh. In 2024, the coup plotters recruited several unsuspecting Armenian citizens, paying them approximately 220,000 rubles ($2,395.25) per month to travel to Russia for a three-month military training course with plans to join the military upon their return.

Military training and coup plans

The masterminds of the plot took the recruits to Rostov-on-Don, where they conducted a lie-detector test to determine if they had any ties to Armenian law enforcement agencies. They then proceeded to Arbat, a military base, to undergo close-quarters combat training. Only then did they learn that the training’s true goal was to return to Armenia and stage a coup for power.

Foiled coup attempt

Some of the recruits refused to participate in the coup and left the group. Armenian law enforcement agencies’ investigative actions ultimately thwarted the coup attempt. Authorities continue to identify other accomplices involved in the plot, despite the arrest of three suspects.

2021 Armenian coup attempt

In 2021, Armenia faced a severe political crisis that nearly led to a coup attempt. Following widespread protests calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian‘s resignation over dissatisfaction with the 2020 Karabakh war, the Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan and senior officers demanded Pashinian’s resignation on Feb. 25.

Pashinian denounced this as a coup attempt, rallied supporters, and ultimately, after increasing tensions and street protests, he agreed to early elections. He officially resigned on April 25, 2021, leading to the appointment of a new chief of the general staff and the announcement of parliamentary elections.