On National Unity Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky to Archbishop Yezras, head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Representatives of other major religious denominations in Russia also received awards.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Archbishop Yezras "is a KGB agent," accusing him of leading a "spy network." Furthermore, Archbishop Yezras was added to the Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) database. He is accused of "attempting to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" and publicly supporting Russia.
Yezras participated in a rally in Yerevan in support of Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan. He was arrested in Armenia on charges of publicly calling for a coup.
Karapetyan is known as a Russian stooge. From prison, he accused the Armenian authorities of severing ties with Russia, emphasizing that Moscow, as Yerevan's main ally, values reliability, predictability, and honesty.
