Corruption

Aghajanian says Armenia has no judicial system left, with 75% of judges appointed by the ruling group and orders coming from above.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dziunik Aghajanian about shifting geopolitical pressures on Armenia following Russia’s September 2026 parliamentary elections. We discuss Putin’s strengthened domestic position, the Armenia-Russia confrontation over the 102nd base, asset confiscation and anti-corruption efforts targeting Russian interests, and how Middle East escalation and the Iran War reshape Armenia’s strategic environment amid ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process tensions.

Khachatryan details how confiscated hotels and villas are resold at deep discounts to Pashinyan-linked buyers while families get nothing.

Hovik recounts how Goris mayor Arush Arushanyan, jailed for protesting Pashinyan, saw his case dropped a week after allying with Civil Contract.

In this week’s Groong podcast episode, Hovik and Asbed reflect on Armenia’s 35th independence anniversary amid ongoing regional tensions and unresolved conflicts. We discuss the state of Armenian statehood three years after the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku, rising citizenship costs, government opacity over war casualties, and deepening Turkey-Azerbaijan strategic coordination.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Arthur Khachatryan, MP from Armenia Alliance, about opposition strategy following the June 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election. We discuss the Established Opposition’s plans to counter Pashinyan’s agenda, territorial concessions including Tigranashen, Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian heritage, the role of TRIPP and Azerbaijan’s control over transit corridors, the future of Russia’s 102nd military base, and escalating threats against opposition parties.

Artsakh analyst Alen Ghevondyan was jailed over Facebook posts, then freed months later as a court dismissed the case. The hosts call it a repeating pattern.

In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed examine the fourth anniversary of the September 2022 border war, Azerbaijan’s ongoing occupation of Armenian territory, and Pashinyan’s political trajectory toward recognizing Artsakh’s loss. We discuss Hajiyev’s inflammatory rhetoric, Armenia’s muted diplomatic response, TRIPP and semiconductor sovereignty, Pashinyan’s attendance at a Paris space summit, Russian financial flows through Armenia, and Russia-Iran coordination in the South Caucasus.

Non-combat deaths in Armenia’s army are rising sharply since the declared peace. The hosts detail a case of conscripts run over while forced to jog at night.

Armenia imports $18-20M in petroleum from Azerbaijan but exports only $960 worth of goods. Hovik reveals the fuel is actually Russian energy white-labeled through Baku, exposing the false ‘peace’ narrative.

School administrators forced underage students to attend Pashinyan campaign rallies during elections. The government declined to prosecute, issuing only administrative reprimands, a stark contrast to treatment of opposition figures.

In this week’s Groong news roundup, Hovik and Asbed examine Armenia’s position at the SCO Summit amid intensifying global conflicts. We discuss Russia’s escalation in Ukraine, unprecedented Western diplomatic visits to Moscow, the renewed US-Iran War, and Pashinyan’s meetings with regional and global leaders including Aliyev and Putin. We also address the ongoing persecution of former Artsakh leaders and the selective justice targeting Armenia’s political landscape.

Pashinyan intensifies crackdown against opposition figures post-election. Tsarukyan, Kocharyan, and Karapetyan face arrest and asset seizures as regime consolidates power.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Arthur G. Martirosyan about Armenia’s post-election political crisis and Pashinyan’s governance agenda. We discuss the arrest of opposition leaders including Robert Kocharyan, attacks on the Armenian Church, border concessions including Tigranashen, the TRIPP corridor, and how the Established Opposition is strategizing under state repression in the Fourth Republic.

Armenia is largely absent from international political prisoner tracking databases despite widespread detention, house arrest, and administrative supervision of opposition figures.

In this episode of Groong Week in Review, Hovik and Asbed discuss Armenia’s precarious position amid escalating Iran War risks, Russia’s December ultimatum on the Eurasian Economic Union, and deepening security threats from TRIPP. We examine how a broader US-Iran conflict could devastate Armenia through refugee flows and logistics collapse, why Pashinyan’s EAEU defiance has triggered Russian pressure, and what frozen CSTO membership actually means for Armenian security.

Hovik and Asbed detail how government officials’ wives are drawing astronomical salaries through rigged job contests while state enterprises decline.

In this week’s Groong episode, the hosts examine Pashinyan’s confrontation with the Armenian Church, Armenia’s strategic positioning between Russia and the EU, and the geopolitical implications of TRIPP. We discuss the trial of Catholicos Garegin II, Iran’s military leadership realignment, the Turkey-Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defense pact, and how these shifts reshape Armenia’s role in the South Caucasus.

Konstantin Sokolov, a Trump megadonor, was appointed to lead TRIPP+, a U.S. fund managing $200 million in South Caucasus investments, the same week he acquired Armenia’s second-largest copper mine. The hosts examine the conflict of interest.

In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed cover the 36th NATO summit in Ankara, escalating Iran war developments, and Armenia’s removal of murals honoring fallen soldiers. We discuss NATO’s defense spending surge, Trump’s shift on Turkey and F-35 access, Ukraine aid commitments, and what these geopolitical shifts mean for Armenia and the South Caucasus amid ongoing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations.

Within hours of the Constitutional Court ruling, 2,000 NSS agents raided over 70 sites linked to opposition figure Gagik Tsarukyan, using military-grade weaponry in what hosts describe as political theater targeting alleged white-collar crimes.

Armenia’s Constitutional Court invalidated votes from three precincts to exclude Prosperous Armenia from parliament, falling just 200 votes short of the 4% threshold despite over 1.5 million total votes cast.

Asbed explains the logic behind Armenia’s post-election arrests: disabling opposition in the present, not building lasting cases for future prosecution.

The Constitutional Court hearing the election challenge is composed entirely of Pashinyan appointees, a historic precedent that fundamentally undermines claims of judicial independence.

Opposition leader Robert Kocharyan was detained at the airport without justification, then charged with crimes allegedly committed two decades ago that fall outside the statute of limitations.

In this Groong Week in Review episode, Hovik and Asbed examine the fallout from Armenia’s 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Elections, the ongoing US-Iran War ceasefire negotiations and their regional implications, and escalating political persecutions following the vote. We discuss how six opposition parties—including Strong Armenia, Armenia Alliance, Prosperous Armenia, and others—have challenged the election results at the Constitutional Court, Russia’s continued criticism of Pashinyan’s government amid an economic embargo, and Armenia-Azerbaijan telecommunications developments amid broader geopolitical uncertainty in the South Caucasus.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Dr. Arman Grigoryan about US-Iran negotiations and Armenia’s contested post-election landscape. We discuss the prospects for a US-Iran agreement, its implications for TRIPP and Iran-Russia relations, the aftermath of the 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election, and how shifting great-power dynamics reshape the South Caucasus.

Hrant Mikaelian documents how the government cancelled results from three precincts to deliberately push Prosperous Armenia below the 4% threshold, effectively removing a major opposition party from parliament.

In this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Hrant Mikaelian about the disputed aftermath of Armenia’s June 7, 2026 parliamentary election. We discuss allegations of electoral fraud, threats against opposition parties, the Anti-Corruption Committee’s proposed ban on opposition groups, Armenia-Russia tensions following the vote, and the EU’s financial support for Armenian agricultural exports amid Russian sanctions.

Hovik details how Armenia’s Central Election Commission invalidated entire precincts, removing 213 votes from Prosperous Armenia and pushing the party below the 4% threshold needed for parliamentary entry.

Hovik outlines a two-track strategy for the opposition: accept parliamentary mandates while appealing to the Constitutional Court and organizing street pressure to challenge Pashinyan’s illegitimate government.

Asbed and Hovik expose the mechanics of Civil Contract’s pre-election spending spree: a billion dollars in unfunded pension and healthcare benefits promised to voters, now recovered through excise taxes on fuel and cigarettes.

In this episode of Groong Week in Review for June 14, 2026, hosts Hovik Manucharyan and Asbed Bedrossian analyze the aftermath of Armenia’s 2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election, shifting Armenia-Georgia relations, and a landmark interim US-Iran agreement that reshapes regional stability. We discuss the ceasefire framework, sanctions relief, and how the Iran war’s resolution affects Armenian security, energy markets, and the broader South Caucasus landscape.