Armenia Demands Re-Arrest of Russian Billionaire

The Armenian Prosecutor General's Office has appealed the court's decision to change the pretrial detention of billionaire and Russian citizen Samvel Karapetyan from pretrial detention to house arrest. According to the businessman's lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, the prosecutor's office insists on Karapetyan's re-arrest.

Meanwhile, the businessman's defense team also appealed the house arrest decision, seeking its complete revocation and deeming the measure unfounded. Vardevanyan called the situation political persecution and stated that there are no legal grounds for his client's arrest.

"There is no justification, no basis, but an entirely illegal, humiliating, and lawless position that Samvel Karapetyan must be arrested. This absurd political persecution has been going on for nearly seven months," the lawyer protested.

In late 2025, Samvel Karapetyan, arrested in Armenia on charges of calling for a coup d'état, had his pretrial detention reduced. His pretrial detention was replaced by house arrest. Karapetyan, arrested in June 2025 after speaking out in defense of the Armenian Apostolic Church (which followed Prime Minister Pashinyan's criticism of church representatives), denies his guilt. In addition to charges of calling for a coup d'état, the Russian businessman, who advocates for Armenia's close integration with Russia, is accused of money laundering through several companies, a charge his defense considers baseless.

Последние новости
A former Dagestani deputy is accused of embezzling 137 million rubles
Society
A former Dagestani deputy is accused of embezzling 137 million rubles
2 March 2026

Kirill Glazov, a former member of the People's Assembly of Dagestan who was stripped of his mandate on February 26, has been arrested on suspicion of large-scale fraud. According to law enforcement agencies, Glazov and his accomplices allegedly embezzled 137 million rubles in budget funds allocated for the purchase of rapid coronavirus testing kits in 2021.

Yagublu continues his hunger strike in an Azerbaijani prison despite health problems
Human rights
Yagublu continues his hunger strike in an Azerbaijani prison despite health problems
2 March 2026

Imprisoned Azerbaijani opposition activist Tofig Yagublu refuses to end his hunger strike, despite persistent entreaties from his family and his deteriorating health. According to his daughter, Nigar Hazi, Yagublu is on his eighth day of hunger strike in a solitary confinement cell in Baku's Pretrial Detention Center No. 1.

Aliyev and Overchuk discussed the crash of the Azerbaijani airliner and transport projects
Politics
Aliyev and Overchuk discussed the crash of the Azerbaijani airliner and transport projects
2 March 2026

On Monday, March 2, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk. During the conversation, current issues of bilateral cooperation were discussed.

Dzhabrailov's daughter claims he was
News
Dzhabrailov's daughter claims he was "silenced"
2 March 2026

Umar Dzhabrailov's suicide theory is being questioned by his family. The businessman's daughter, Alvina Dzhabrailova, claimed her father was "silenced" due to his alleged involvement in the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier convicted of sexually abusing minors and who committed suicide in 2019. It was previously reported that Umar Dzhabrailov knew Epstein.