Armenia claims it thwarted coup involving Russia as relations sour even more

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 20 Sep 2024 by Alex Teddy

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On September 18, Armenian news reported that Armenia foiled a coup attempt. It was alleged as hatched by a faction recruiting and educating in Russia. Three people were arrested in connection with the plot. An investigation has been launched into seven suspects, five Armenian nationals and two from the Nagorno-Karabakh region on suspicion of conspiracy to seize power through illegal methods. One of these men was reportedly an outspoken critic of the Armenian government whose lawyer has denied all accusations. In preparation for the coup, it is alleged that a large number of Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh residents were recruited and transported to Russia for a three-month training program. Each received a monthly stipend of RUB 220,000 or USD 2350. Afterwards, they were returned to Armenia to instruct and train others. The alleged site of this training is a base called Arbat in Russia’s Rostov region. Arbat is the name of an ethnic-Armenian unit in Russia’s armed forces that has been active in Ukraine. Within Armenia, President Pashinyan’s allies have been vocal about the threat to the government and national security. Another early version has been raised that there was Azerbaijani involvement in this coup. Speculation has circulated that a coup in Armenia could have interrupted peace negotiations and given Azerbaijan a casus belli for another war to secure its territorial aims. While both Armenia and Azerbaijan have made progress towards a deal, Azerbaijan retains irredentist claims on southern Armenia, a region it terms “Western Azerbaijan.” The region is strategic for various reasons: it separates the Armenian exclave Nakhichevan from the Azerbaijani metropole, whic...