On 18 September 2024, the

Government of Armenia The Government of the Republic of Armenia () or the executive branch of the Armenian government is an executive council of government ministers in Armenia. It is one of the three main governmental branches of Armenia and is headed by the Pr ...

announced that the National Security Service (NSS) had thwarted a coup attempt by Armenian Russophiles armed, trained, and financed by the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Background

Armenia–Russia relations Bilateral relations between modern-day Armenia and the Russian Federation were established on 3 April 1992, though Russia has been an important actor in Armenia since the early 19th century. The two countries' historic relationship has its roots ...

have steadily declined since the start of the

Russian Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

in 2022. Since then, the government of Armenia, led by

Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan (born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician who is serving as the 16th and current Prime Minister of Armenia, prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in ...

, announced the nation's plans withdrawal from the CSTO, hosted American troops for the Eagle Partner 2023 military exercises, and sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The same day as the announcement, Pashinyan announced that “If we see a more or less realistic possibility of becoming a full member of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

... we will not miss that moment.” Earlier in 2024 Pashinyan asked Russian peacekeepers to withdraw from Armenia for failing to stop the

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, self-declared breakaway state of Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 Nago ...

. At the same time, Armenia's longstanding geopolitical rival

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

has made concerted efforts to draw closer to Russia, hosting

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

in August. Shortly before the announcement of the arrests of the plotters, Russian Foreign Minister

Sergei Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004. He is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since Andrei Gromyko during the Soviet Union. Lavrov was b ...

stated that Russia would accept if Armenia and Azerbaijan work out their own peace deal without Kremlin mediation. Last year, also in September, the NSS announced the arrest of nationalist politician Albert Bazeyan and seven members of the Khachakirner militia for allegedly plotting a coup.

Events

According to the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Armenia, seven people will be charged with “preparing to usurp power … using violence and the threat of violence to take over the powers of government.” According to Armenian officials the plotters consisted of an undisclosed number of Armenian nationals led by 5 Armenians and 2 former citizens of the

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh ( ), officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ( ), was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh cont ...

. These individuals where recruited to undergo three months of training in Russia and were paid monthly salaries of 220,000 rubles ($2,377) while learning how to use weaponry. The individuals had undergone background checks and polygraph tests before being sent to the military base in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

of the Arbat Battalion, an ethnically Armenian militia, consisting mostly of

Armenians in Russia Armenians in Russia or Russian Armenians (; ) are one of the country's largest ethnic minorities and the largest Armenian diaspora community outside Armenia. The 2010 Russian census recorded 1,182,388 Armenians in the country. Various figures est ...

. The Arbat battalion had been blessed by the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

by to fight in Ukraine for Russia. The plotters where also in contact with former residents of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

to join the plot. According to The Investigative Committee the plot fell apart when several members refused to take part in the violent toppling of government and informed law enforcement. The Investigative Committee announced that three of the plotters had been arrested, while another four where still at large. One of the arrested plotters is Serob Gasparian, the leader of Sev Hovaz, a militia from Nagorno-Karabakh. Gasparian has been a noted critic of the Pashinyan government, however, his lawyer has denied all charges.

Reactions

The

Russian Ministry of Defense The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Commander-in-Chief of the forces ...

refused to comment on the incident. Russian foreign minister

Maria Zakharova Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova (, ; born 24 December 1975) is a Russian politician who serves as the director of the information and press department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federa ...

called the allegations "fake news" claiming that "unlike the west" the Kremlin does not meddle in the affairs of other countries. Dr

Neil Melvin Neil Melvin is a researcher and policy practitioner in contemporary forms of conflict and the current Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme. He has published on i ...

, director of International Security at the

Royal United Services Institute The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI, Rusi) is a defence and security think tank with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1831 by the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley ...

, stated on September 20 that "there is, as yet, relatively little evidence to support the latest claim." However, his colleague Callum Fraser said "It is not beyond possibility that Russia would simultaneously be trying to actively overthrow the current Armenian government", in regards to Russia also supporting protests earlier in the year.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenian coup attempt allegations, 2024 2024 in international relations 2020s coups d'état and coup attempts Coup attempt allegations September 2024 crimes in Europe Attempted coups in Armenia Armenia–Russia relations Nikol Pashinyan Russian involvement in regime change

Background

Events

Reactions

See also

Notes

References