BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 25. A high-profile
political and criminal case is unfolding in Armenia鈥攐ne that could
mark a turning point in the country’s struggle against the
revanchism and radicalism that have held back its development for
decades. Armenia鈥檚 Investigative Committee has announced the
uncovering of a plot aimed at violently seizing power. At the
center of the allegations is the head of the opposition movement
鈥淪acred Struggle,鈥 former Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan.
According to the official investigation, after failing to bring
about a change of power through legal means, Galstanyan and his
supporters began preparing for terrorist actions in November 2024.
This was not about protests or acts of civil disobedience – it was
a carefully orchestrated plan to destabilize the country. The
alleged goal was to create chaos across multiple cities in Armenia
within a 36-hour timeframe, providing cover for a forceful takeover
Investigators say the movement formed strike units – up to 250
groups of no more than 25 individuals each. These groups were
reportedly intended to operate autonomously, without coordination,
to minimize the risk of the entire plan collapsing. Former military
personnel and security officials were allegedly recruited, and the
plan was set to begin with a rally in front of the government
building in Yerevan, designed to divert attention.
Put plainly, this wasn鈥檛 just political pressure – it was an
attempt to undermine Armenian statehood. The wave of arrests in
recent days shows this is not a symbolic case, but a real and
present threat. Moreover, authorities claim that as of January
2025, the group entered an active phase of preparation: purchasing
equipment, maps, collecting data on urban infrastructure, and
recruiting as many as 1,000 participants.
But this case is about more than just a conspiracy. It鈥檚 about
the role of revanchism in Armenian politics – an ideology that has
trapped the country in illusion for decades. Bagrat Galstanyan,
Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan have all become symbols of
rejection: rejection of peace, of cooperation, of progress. They
have opposed a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, continuing to stoke
baseless territorial claims – devoid of legal or moral legitimacy.
What they offered the nation was a road backward: toward conflict,
isolation, and escalation.
They are also responsible for crimes committed under Armenian
control in Karabakh鈥攚ar crimes, ethnic cleansing, the expulsion of
hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis. Kocharyan, Sargsyan, and
others like them must face international justice as organizers and
enablers of that aggression.
Modern Armenia is no longer the country it was five or even ten
years ago. Society is tired of war and the rhetoric of eternal
victimhood. People want peace, infrastructure, an economy, and a
future. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is increasingly steering the
country toward a final settlement with Azerbaijan. That path is not
without internal tensions, but it reflects a real demand for
One telling fact: the arrests of opposition figures have not
sparked mass protests in Yerevan. That alone speaks volumes. The
Armenian public is beginning to see things clearly. It understands
that figures like Galstanyan – cloaked in religion and 鈥渘ational
struggle鈥 – are not leading the country toward renewal, but deeper
into crisis.
The Galstanyan case may prove to be more than just a criminal
proceeding – it may come to symbolize the end of Armenia鈥檚
revanchist era. The revanchists are starting to face the
consequences. And this is not only a matter of law – it is a matter
of historical justice.