Zakharova: Moscow monitoring situation in Gyumri following arrest of city's mayor

Russia is closely monitoring the situation in Gyumri, where Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has been arrested, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a weekly briefing, responding to a question from News.Ru, Report informs.

"Moscow is closely monitoring the situation in Gyumri, Armenia's second-largest city. Russia's 102nd military base, the Russian Consulate General, and a branch of Rossotrudnichestvo are located there. City authorities are actively developing cooperation with various regions of Russia," Zakharova said.

According to her, Moscow values ​​Russian-Armenian relations and always protects all those who advocate for the traditionally close ties between the peoples.

"As for the assessment of the detention of the city mayor (of Gyumri), this is undoubtedly an internal matter for Armenia. At the same time, we note that criminal cases were previously opened against the heads of Vanadzor, Berd, Goris, and other communities, and some were arrested. We hope that such trials will not lead to a separation of the judiciary from the people and a decline in trust in it, as the Armenian Prime Minister himself recently spoke about at the Armenian Democracy Forum," she added.

According to Zakharova, all these issues are even more pressing given that Armenia is entering a new electoral cycle – the next parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 2026.

On October 21, the Anti-Corruption Court remanded Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan in custody for two months. According to investigators, the mayor and the chief architect of the city hall agreed not to demolish the illegal structure, which covers approximately 1,500 square meters on Garegin Nzhdeh Street, having received about $10,000 from the owner.