One of the oppositionists, Martun Grigorian, was targeted the day after welcoming Tsarukian in his hometown of Gyumri and organizing a BHK campaign rally there. The other, Andranik Tevanian, is facing a high treason charge which Pashinian personally announced on the campaign trail on Wednesday. Armenia’s Investigative Committee claimed the following night that Tevanian was recruited by a foreign, presumably Russian, intelligence service two years ago.
According to it, he was paid $622,000 to supply state secrets, including confidential details of a closed-door hearing held in the Armenian parliament in April 2024. Tevanian had resigned from the parliament in August 2023. The committee did not explain how he could have gained access to such information.
The outspoken oppositionist, who is running in the June 7 elections on the BHK ticket and is known for his pro-Russian views, vehemently denied the espionage claims before masked officers of the National Security Service (NSS) raided his office in downtown Yerevan early in the morning. They also broke into his nearby empty apartment to search it. Earlier this week, the Armenia police arrested two individuals on suspicion of trying to burglarize the apartment.
“This is nonsense,” Tevanian told reporters. “Nikol Pashinian, I have presented what kind of treason you yourself have engaged in, and I will not forgive you for what you are doing.”
Under Armenian law, election candidates cannot be prosecuted without the consent of the Central Election Commission (CEC). Prosecutors asked the CEC for such permission later in the day.
A banner displaying images of Gagik Tsarukian and Martun Grigorian at the entrance to BHK campaign headquarters in Gyumri, May 22, 2026.
Meanwhile, another law-enforcement agency, the Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) searched Grigorian’s house and campaign office in Gyumri. The ACC refused to immediately give any details of the criminal proceedings. Grigorian, who is also high on the list of the BHK’s election candidates, said they looked for election-related documents but did not find anything.
“This means that our campaign is paralyzed today,” he told journalists. “This is a way of obstructing, impeding it.”
Investigators already raided Grigorian’s Gymri home and arrested his father and son ahead of a municipal election held in Armenia’s second largest city in April 2025. That did not prevent a local bloc led by Grigorian from defeating the ruling Civil Contract party together with three other opposition groups.
“Nikol Pashinian is turning this election campaign into an overt political vendetta,” said BHK spokeswoman Iveta Tonoyan. “We assess what is happening as a targeted and coordinated attack on our opposition political force and election candidates carried out at the most heated stage of the pre-election processes.”
Earlier this week, Pashinian repeatedly pledged to “bring on their knees” and “take out” Tsarukian and the leaders of two other major opposition forces challenging him in the June 7 elections. He also announced the impending nationalization of Armenia’s largest cement plant belonging to the BHK leader.
