Armenia's former defense minister, Major General Arshak Karapetyan, was detained in Moscow on Dec. 29 and later released, the Armenian Interior Ministry confirmed for the Novosti-Armenia news agency.
Karapetyan was detained at Armenia's request and was subsequently released from custody on bail, the Russian state-news agency TASS reported.
The Armenian government previously placed the former defense minister on the international wanted list for "participation in illegal business activity," abuse of power, and abuse of official position.
Karapetyan served as Armenia's defense minister between August and November 2021 and as an advisor to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from 2018 to 2021.
According to Pashinyan, the former minister was dismissed after reporting full control over the border on the morning of Nov. 14, 2021, even though Azerbaijani troops "invaded (Armenian) territory in several sections and even took up positions."
Karapetyan subsequently launched an opposition political group called the All-Armenian Front, advocating for closer ties with Russia and Iran.
Relations between Yerevan and Moscow, traditionally close military allies, have deteriorated after Russian peacekeepers did not prevent the Azerbaijani 2023 offensive that led to Baku's capture of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
