Paul Goble
Staunton, Oct. 20 – Corruption charges that have been brought against the pro-Russian mayor of Gyumri and seven of his associates may be less about their taking bribes than about Yerevan’s growing interest in reining in and possibly closing down the Russian military base there which currently is home to more than 4,000 troops as well as members of their families.
When mayor Vardan Gukaysan returned to office this fall, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan charged that he had bribed voters to get his way, although the specific charges brought against him involved payoffs from others to him (novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/10/20/v-armenii-zaderzhali-prorossiiskogo-mera-giumri-vardana-gukasiana-i-eshche-semerykh-chelovek-po-delu-o-vziatke-news).
When police came to arrest Gukasyan and his colleagues this week, 60 to 70 people from the town assembled to try to block them, leading to a clash between the two groups after Gukasyan denounced the charges and called on residents of the city to defend their independence against Yerevan actions.
Gukasyan has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Russian base; and with him behind bars, Yerevan will likely find it easier to make demands regarding its size or even continued presence without the fear that the mayor or some other senior official in the city would take up the cause of the base and organize demonstrations.
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