For the right to believe: billionaire Samvel Karapetyan's house was searched in Armenia

On Tuesday evening, June 17, it became known that the house of Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan was searched in the Armenian capital Yerevan. It is reported that several dozen people were detained. The reason for this was the ongoing conflict between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Searches in Samvel Karapetyan's house: what is known

On Tuesday, June 17, searches took place in Yerevan at the home of Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian businessman of Armenian origin, who heads Tashir Group of Companies (a Russian multidisciplinary industrial and construction group, one of the largest commercial real estate developers in Russia). According to local media, law enforcement officials arrived at his house and evacuated the cars of residents and guests. In total, about 45 people were detained who came to express their support for the businessman.

Initially, local media reported that Karapetyan himself was among the people who were taken to the metropolitan police station. This information was later refuted by Tashir Group of Companies. Karapetyan issued a statement: "I will fight for the shrines of the Armenian people with all my might, wherever I am, no matter what happens. I will not allow anyone to trample on our shrines for their own purposes."

The reason for the searches is the businessman's protection of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), which was sharply criticized by Nikol Pashinyan (Prime Minister of Armenia).

Despite this, according to Sputnik Armenia, the detentions were allegedly related to illegal possession of weapons.

— The authorities have been attacking the Armenian Apostolic Church as a pan-Armenian national institution for several days now. Now, several hundred people have gathered near Karapetyan's house, and there are a lot of deputies here. There are no excesses so far, but Pashinyan continues his illogical offensive status, let's see how the situation continues," Gegham Manukyan, a deputy from the Hayastan bloc, told Izvestia.

Vadim Mukhanov, Head of the Caucasus Sector at the IMEMO of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia that there had never been such excesses before.

— We are not talking about some simple politician in the Republic of Armenia, but about Samvel Karapetyan, who is a major figure for both Armenia and Russia. Today's event is a consequence of this fierce struggle for power and for the minds of the Armenian population," he said.

He also added that the Armenian Apostolic Church and personally Catholicos (the title of the highest clergy in the Armenian Apostolic Church — Ed.) Garegin II are quite popular figures in Armenia. They directly or indirectly compete with Pashinyan and his current ideology.

— The church doesn't just say that it doesn't like Pashinyan. She doesn't like certain actions of the prime minister and a certain ideology," the expert believes.

Defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church by Samvel Karapetyan

Against the background of the conflict and harsh statements by the authorities towards the Armenian Apostolic Church, Samvel Karapetyan supported the Armenian Church and noted that a small group of people, forgetting the thousand-year history of Armenia and the Church, launched attacks on the Armenian Apostolic Church.

"Since I have always been close to the Armenian Church and people, I will take a direct part <...> If the politicians fail, then we will participate in all this," he said.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church) defended the Russian entrepreneur.

"It has just become known that immediately after expressing support for the Armenian Church, law enforcement agencies attempted to arrest Samvel Karapetyan, and his house is currently being searched. We strongly condemn the persecution for obvious political reasons. We call on the Armenian authorities to immediately stop their illegal actions," reads a statement issued by the Armenian Apostolic Press office.

The conflict between the Armenian Apostolic Church and Nikola Pashinyan

In May 2025, Nikol Pashinyan began actively criticizing the Armenian Apostolic Church and stated that churches in the country were being used as closets and warehouses: "Parishioners are looking for spiritual food, but they see some kind of trash. Bags of cement, pieces of rusty rebar, old concrete slabs, other people's clothes, shoes, and even beds are everywhere."

In general, the Prime Minister of the country launched a tirade of posts on his social networks, in which he accused church leaders, including of violating the vow of celibacy. In addition, he accused Catholicos Karekin II himself of violating celibacy, urging him to leave his post.

At the same time, the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church stated that Nikol Pashinyan had launched "another campaign" against the church, "putting himself above the law," with vocabulary, insults and accusations "not befitting a statesman."

The result of all this was the statement of the head of government that a coordinating council should be created in the country for the election of a new Catholicos, while the current bishops should not be allowed to participate in the procedure. At the same time, he stated that he would take responsibility for selecting the first 10 members of the coordination group.