Who doesn't know: Armenia is preparing for a wave of arrests of opposition MPs

There is a new round of confrontation between the government and the opposition in Armenia. Law enforcement officers detained former President Robert Kocharyan and his eldest son Sedrak, and the house of the ex-leader's youngest son, parliamentarian Levon Kocharyan, was searched. And this is clearly not the end: violent actions may affect other opposition deputies, Gegham Manukyan, a member of the National Assembly from the Armenia bloc, told Izvestia. Opponents of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan consider what is happening to be an attempt to clear the internal field before further rapprochement with the EU and constitutional reform. At the same time, official Yerevan explains the criminal cases by fighting corruption and illegally acquired property.

Another wave of detentions in Armenia

Security forces in Armenia have launched investigative actions against one of the main opposition figures. On the morning of August 25, the country's second president, Robert Kocharyan, and his eldest son, Sedrak, were detained. Law enforcement officers came to several dozen addresses, including the apartment of the youngest son of the ex-leader, the current MP Levon Kocharyan.

According to investigators, during Kocharyan's presidency, state property was transferred to related structures at low prices. Money transfers and the purchase of real estate by his son Sedrak are also being checked. The defense of the ex-president considers the case to be politically motivated.

On August 25, six people were detained in this criminal case, among them Robert Kocharyan and his son Sedrak. In addition, nine other defendants are being prosecuted in the same case, including the third President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. Sargsyan himself has not been detained.

The opposition does not rule out that further violent actions may affect other current deputies.

— Yes, it is possible, because it was clear that after the elections Nikol Pashinyan would continue the repression with renewed vigor and on a new scale. After his speech yesterday, criticism of judges who do not authorize arrest, and his crusade against judges and investigative bodies, it was understandable," Gegham Manukyan, a member of the National Assembly from the Armenia bloc of parties, told Izvestia.

Robert Kocharyan's office also links the new criminal prosecution to the ex-president's political conflict with the current government. Its head Bagrat Mikoyan noted in a conversation with Izvestia that he considers the incident to be pressure on Kocharyan, which has been going on since 2018. According to his estimates, about 50-100 opposition activists are currently in custody or under house arrest.

— Armenia is a concentration camp of democracy. With their own policemen and European policemen," he said.

The arrests are related to an altercation in the country's parliament that took place the day before. On August 24, Pashinyan presented the government's program for 2026-2031 to the deputies. Among her tasks, he named the fight against oligarchy and impunity, as well as the return of illegally acquired property. By 2031, the authorities expect to return approximately $2 billion worth of property of this origin to the state.

During the discussion of the program, Pashinyan got into an argument with MP Levon Kocharyan. The prime minister questioned the origin of the family fortune of the former president and said that the property received at the expense of the people should be returned to the state. Robert Kocharyan's office regarded these words as a direct threat to his family and linked them to the searches and detentions that began the next morning.

The authorities consider the main opposition leaders as opponents who need to be eliminated from the political struggle, political analyst Arman Abovyan believes. Three of Pashinyan's most prominent rivals in the recent elections are now restricted in freedom: Robert Kocharyan has been detained, the leader of Strong Armenia, Samvel Karapetyan, is under house arrest, and the head of Prosperous Armenia, Gagik Tsarukyan, is under arrest. Karapetyan's preventive measure was extended for another two months in July, Tsarukyan was suspended for the same period on July 7.

Arman Abovyan considers intimidation of opposition-minded voters to be one of the objectives of this policy. According to him, the European structures do not actually react to what is happening.

"Woe to the vanquished": why Pashinyan announced the hunt for Robert Kocharyan

The ex-president of the Republic and his son were detained in Armenia.

When will Armenia apply to the EU

The escalation in Armenia's domestic policy is taking place simultaneously with Yerevan's further rapprochement with the European Union. On August 24, Pashinyan announced in parliament that the authorities could soon begin the process of submitting an official application for EU membership. He did not give specific dates, however, according to Manukyan, the government often makes statements that subsequently do not lead to concrete steps.

Armenia's European course dates back to March 26, 2025, when the parliament, by a ruling majority, adopted a law on the beginning of the republic's accession process to the European Union. Over the past year, contacts between Yerevan and Brussels have noticeably intensified. On May 4-5, 2026, the first Armenia-EU summit was held in Yerevan, following which the parties agreed to expand cooperation in the energy, transport and digital spheres. In parallel, work continues on the liberalization of the visa regime: Pashinyan sets a goal to achieve visa-free travel by 2029.

Armenia's rapprochement with the EU goes hand in hand with the country's distance from Russia. Since February 2024, Yerevan has frozen its participation in the work of the CSTO, and on August 24, Pashinyan stated that the country does not plan to return to active activity in the organization in the next five years. Moreover, he would be happy if the CSTO itself excluded Armenia.

— It's just that, to be honest, [the authorities] are not taking the first step themselves and are waiting for the first step from the CSTO. But they openly declare that they have no contacts and no ties with the CSTO," Manukyan noted.

In response, the Kremlin said that Yerevan has the right to withdraw from the CSTO on its own if it no longer considers membership to be in the national interest. At the same time, Moscow warns that after applying to the EU, Armenia will have to adapt its legislation to European standards, some of which contradict the rules of the EAEU.

Pashinyan himself admitted that full-fledged membership in two associations at the same time is impossible. That is why the EAEU countries have already called on Armenia to decide on an integration choice, and the prime minister allowed a referendum to be held after applying to the EU and a real prospect of joining appeared. Until then, Yerevan intends to remain involved in the Eurasian union.

Pashinyan and his team have another problematic step ahead — the adoption of a new Constitution. Azerbaijan demands that the reference to the 1990 Declaration of Independence, which mentions the unification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, be removed from the Armenian Basic Law. The new Constitution must be put to a referendum.

The opposition opposes the reform and considers it a fulfillment of Baku's demands. In these circumstances, the pressure on Pashinyan's political opponents can only intensify the internal confrontation before the future referendum. At the same time, the tougher the authorities act against opponents, the higher the risk of new protests inside the country.