Armenia’s Investigative Committee reports prevention of attempted terrorist act and power seizure

Armenia’s Investigative Committee (IC) reported the prevention of an attempted terrorist act and an effort to seize power, allegedly orchestrated by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, leader of the “Holy Struggle” movement.

According to the investigation, Galstanyan and his supporters intended to create about 200 “strike” groups consisting of former military and police officers—about 25 people each. These groups were to be deployed across the country and, following the archbishop’s instructions, to become active at a predetermined moment. The purpose of these actions was to create chaos and distract authorities through synchronized rallies.

The IC also claims that the group members planned acts of sabotage in Yerevan and regions, attacks on critical infrastructure, as well as killing civilians. They were supposed to block the movements of government officials and security forces to prevent them from reacting promptly. Additionally, the group is said to have planned cyberattacks on government websites. Since January 2025, allegedly, about 1,000 individuals have been involved in these actions.

According to the IC, all these actions were thwarted in time by officers of the National Security Service.