The Russian media outlet The Insider has published an extensive article regarding Russia’s possible influence ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, while also touching on Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” alliance, and Gagik Tsarukyan, chairman of the Prosperous Armenia party.
According to The Insider’s publication, Karapetyan’s passport file listed the “FSB information center” as his workplace.
”In 1999, Karapetyan applied for a foreign passport in Kaluga. According to leaked offline databases, his passport file included an Interior Ministry notation under “place of work”: “IC FSB.” This note means that if a citizen is to be checked, the FSB must be contacted first. An Interior Ministry operative told The Insider that these markings are usually reserved for foreigners working under FSB supervision or for confidential informants,” reads the publication.
The publication noted that Karapetyan is currently under arrest on charges of money laundering and publicly calling for the seizure of power.
At the same time, it noted that he publicly defended Catholicos Karekin II following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements.
In June 2025, Prime Minister Pashinyan demanded the resignation of Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, after rumors intensified that the cleric allegedly had a child, which would violate his vow of celibacy.
The Insider also referred to Gagik Tsarukyan in the article, calling him “another Kremlin ally.”
The magazine writes that Tsarukyan accumulated a fortune in Armenia through his activities in the dairy and brandy production sectors, while in Russia he is among the founders of three companies — Tikhivz, Zh Invest, and Elit Stroy — which build luxury housing in the Moscow region.
According to the article, in February 2019, Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia party signed a cooperation protocol with United Russia.
The article also notes that leaked materials from the now-disbanded divisions of the Russian presidential administration contained a copy of Tsarukyan’s passport and financial documents from his 2017 election campaign.
”Leaks from the now-disbanded Directorate for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries included a copy of Tsarukyan’s passport and a financial estimate for his 2017 election campaign,” it reads.
Published by Armenpress, original at
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