Armenian authorities on Monday detained Vardan Ghukasyan, the opposition mayor of Gyumri—Armenia’s second-largest city—on bribery charges in what critics call another politically motivated move by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government.
Ghukasyan and seven members of his municipal staff were accused of soliciting a $10,000 bribe tied to an unauthorized construction project. Police raided Gyumri City Hall early Monday morning as part of what they described as an anti-corruption operation. Ghukasyan, an ally of former president and opposition leader Robert Kocharyan, was taken into custody during the raid.
The arrest came just weeks after Pashinyan publicly vowed on October 1st to “remove” Ghukasyan from politics over his alleged “pro-Russian” ties. Opposition parties condemned the comments as overtly political and accused the government of weaponizing law enforcement. Protests quickly erupted outside Gyumri City Hall following the arrest, leading to clashes with special police units and at least 23 additional detentions for rioting and obstructing authorities.
The move marks the latest in a broader campaign against critics of Armenia’s pro-Western government. Earlier this year, prominent businessman Samvel Karapetyan was arrested, while several senior members of the Armenian Apostolic Church have also been detained amid what observers describe as an effort to diminish the Church’s influence. Over the past year, more than 50 opposition figures have been arrested, assets have been nationalized, and internal Church divisions have deepened, leading many to label Armenia a “police state.”
Since coming to power in the 2018 “Velvet Revolution,” Pashinyan has sought to realign Armenia’s foreign policy away from Moscow and toward the West. Yerevan confirmed last month that it plans to apply for European Union membership in 2026, a move that has further strained relations with Russia and Iran.
Armenia’s geopolitical realignment has also created unusual regional dynamics. For the first time, Yerevan’s interests appear loosely aligned with Azerbaijan and Turkey—its longtime adversaries—following Pashinyan’s refusal to intervene in 2023 as Azerbaijan captured the Republic of Artsakh, the de facto ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijani territory. The concessions made since then have angered nationalists and fueled claims that Pashinyan is undermining Armenian sovereignty to secure Western favor.