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Attempted coup thwarted in Armenia
Leaders of the opposition movement Sacred Struggle were allegedly planning terrorist acts and an illegal seizure of power, according to Armenia’s Investigative Committee. A criminal case has been opened.
The committee stated that “V.G. intended to seize power through unconstitutional means.” V.G. refers to Vazgen Galstanyan — the secular name of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, the leader of the movement. Law enforcement officials said he “conspired with a number of movement members to acquire the necessary tools and equipment to carry out terrorist acts and seize power.”
“Law enforcement agencies have thwarted a large-scale and disgraceful plot to destabilise the Republic of Armenia and seize power by a criminal-oligarchic group involving clergy,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote on Facebook.
The case was initiated by the Prosecutor General’s Office following a publication on Civic.am, a news outlet affiliated with the government, which disclosed details of the alleged coup plot.
Parliamentary opposition parties claim the government invented the story. They say the “coup plan” reflects the authorities’ own fears.
On 20 June, the opposition reported mass arrests and searches. Police responded that they were conducting “enhanced operations, including preventive measures.”
The website Civic.am published an article titled Exclusive: The Opposition’s Coup Plan, consisting of a 7-page PDF document.
“Our reliable sources within the opposition provided us with the plan. It outlines step-by-step actions, a list of resources, and key figures,” the article states.
According to the document, the plan to remove Nikol Pashinyan from power included eight stages. The decisive phase, demanding Pashinyan’s resignation, was scheduled for 20–21 September under the slogan “Step down so we can live.”
One of them, dual Armenian-Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, was arrested a few days ago and charged with inciting the seizure of power.
The opposition’s alleged plan includes a call for Kocharyan and Sargsyan to reconcile and jointly support the coup attempt.
A section of the document titled “Human Resources” lists the following figures:
These numbers appear to indicate how many supporters each oligarch was expected to mobilise. The section also references Kocharyan, Sargsyan, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun party, Gazprom, and other organisations — though no figures are listed next to those names.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee has published several audio recordings allegedly featuring leaders of the opposition movement discussing their plans and intentions in detail. The recordings include offensive language directed at the Armenian people.
One voice can be heard saying:
“We need to ignite that spark in people, so they understand – no, brother, we are participants in this process too. This is a beastly nation, deeply beastly. They want to be the masters and founders of everything. That’s why we need to say – yes, brother, you are a co-founder of this process.”
“We preached to them. What we really need to do is line up two people against a wall and shoot them, throw another 15 in prison. That’s it, job done. The rest will disappear. You shoot them, then pay their families compensation for their lives – and they’ll be happy.
I’m talking about the most brutal part now. We surround parliament, back and forth. And if possible, we go ahead with our plans: explosions, etc. We begin. We need to maim them and end it all.”
One alleged member of the group insists that when the time comes to take to the streets, the movement must reach its goal, as there will be no second, third, or fourth chance:
“When His Holiness [Bagrat Galstanyan] says, ‘We’re taking to the streets,’ the matter will be closed. That’s it, it’s done. Either we die, or we kill.”
According to the Investigative Committee of Armenia, in the summer of 2024, V.G. [Vazgen Galstanyan] established a movement called “Sacred Struggle.” Over several months, he organised rallies and marches with the goal of seizing power. He later halted all public political activities and informed his supporters of a “change in methodology,” ruling out the possibility of gaining power through elections.
The new strategy, as stated by the committee, involved reaching their ultimate goal “not through rallies, but via coordinated violent actions carried out by small strike groups at an opportune moment.”
The plan was to be executed within 24 to 36 hours, with simultaneous unrest in multiple settlements across Armenia.
“Members of the criminal group decided to form 200–250 strike teams of 25 people each, mainly composed of former military and police personnel, with each team assigned a specific mission,” the committee said.
V.G. was reportedly to issue a public call to gather outside the government building and stage a small diversionary rally, while the strike groups would mobilise in pre-designated areas.
“To achieve their criminal objective of seizing power in Armenia, V.G. and other members of the group planned to commit terrorist acts — including killing civilians, inflicting serious and moderate bodily harm, and causing large-scale property damage.”
The plan also included:
The committee reports that members of the criminal group planned to take measures aimed at preventing state authorities from being able to stabilise the situation. They also intended to obstruct, or even completely block, the movement of police forces by targeting the deployment points of internal troops using various means. In addition, the group allegedly planned to paralyse the websites of the government and other state institutions, as well as electronic control systems, through cyberattacks.
Thousands of incendiary devices and sharp metal components — intended to damage vehicle tyres — were reportedly acquired to implement the coup plan.
“As part of the criminal case, urgent investigative and procedural actions are being conducted,” the Investigative Committee said.
“If, after all this, they are not punished by law, then the Armenian people will punish them. In fact, the biggest den of Russian agents in Armenia is, unfortunately, the Armenian Church.”
“Arrest the anti-state scum and put them in cages — isolate them from society for life, dear Nikol Pashinyan.”
“Let Allahshukur Pashazade [Azerbaijani religious leader, head of the Caucasus Muslim Board] hear all of this. Now he sits in Baku and watches everything unfold, and his soul rejoices. As soon as he quietly suggested that the Armenian Church is a threat, our Prime Minister acted immediately.”
“There must be no forgiveness for them [the criminal group]. No house arrest — they must be imprisoned immediately.”
“I fully support the Armenian authorities. Terrorists must be severely punished.”
