Russia & FSU

Police and clerics clash in Armenia: Live Updates

Law enforcement is raiding a local seat of the national church, which has protested territorial concessions to AzerbaijanPolice and clerics clash in Armenia: Live Updates

Police and clerics clash in Armenia: Live Updates

©  Screenshot / Social media

Armenian police have attempted to raid the seat of the country’s Apostolic Church, the country’s largest religion, in the city of Vagharshapat, leading to major clashes between clerics, church members and law enforcement.

The stand-off comes amid speculation that Armenian authorities could try to arrest Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan on suspicion that he had attempted to stage a coup.

The country’s government has been at odds with the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) for months, as it emerged as the main driver behind the mass protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s agreement to return several border villages to Azerbaijan.

While Pashinyan portrayed the move as a pathway to mending tenuous relations between the two former Soviet republics, many Armenians have seen it as a betrayal of national interests.

As the stand-off escalated, Armenian authorities on Wednesday arrested Bagrat Galstanyan, a high-profile cleric and a key protest leader, on terrorism charges.

They also detained Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, who voiced support for the AAC. Karapetyan faces charges of calling for the overthrow of the state.

  • 27 June 2025

    09:56 GMT

    Adjapahyan has said that he has no intention of hiding from police while denying any wrongdoing. “Everything that is happening disregards the law. I am not a threat to the state, the threat emanates from the government. But the people who follow the will of a madman threaten violence… I will go with them, and the clergy will follow me,” he added, as quoted by Sputnik.

  • 09:31 GMT

    Russian-Armenian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, now in Armenian custody, has criticized officials in Yerevan for straining relations with Russia and seeking rapprochement with the West.

    READ MORE:
    Imprisoned Russian businessman slams Armenian government

    “Surrounded by hostile states and showing exceptional political shortsightedness, they rushed to get rid of Russia,” Karapetyan said in a statement released by his legal team. “They subjected the country to numerous trials just to spite their main ally.”

    “They are loudly appealing to the European Union, not realizing that we are not wanted there,” he added.

  • 08:55 GMT

    Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the AAC, has arrived at the scene, with a video showing him slowly walking through the crowd of protesters. He earlier said he would discuss the next moves with the clergy.

  • 08:54 GMT

    Officers have blocked one of the key routes to Vagharshapat in Yerevan to prevent the protesters from flowing into Etchmiadzin Cathedral, local media reports.

  • 08:48 GMT

    Armenian police have detained Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan despite resistance from protesters, according to local media. 

  • 08:38 GMT

    Videos on social media show a heated standoff between the clergymen and church members on one side and police on the other at Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat, 20km from the capital, Yerevan. Law enforcement officers are seen attempting to enter the cathedral, but are blocked by a large crowd.

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