Armenian border guards take full control of Akhurik checkpoint Russian Troops Withdrawn

The Armenian government has officially confirmed that Russian border guards have been removed from the Akhurik checkpoint on the Armenia-Türkiye border, with Armenian border guards from the National Security Service (NSS) now fully manning the post.

The implementation report of the Armenian government program highlights that throughout 2025, efforts continued on the technical modernization, staffing, and professional development of the NSS, alongside measures to enhance the effectiveness of Armenia’s state border protection, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

“Starting from March 1, 2025, service at the Margara checkpoint on the Armenia-Türkiye border is carried out solely by servicemen of the Border Troops of the NSS of Armenia. From the beginning of 2026, only the servicemen of the Armenian NSS Border Guard Troops are serving at the Akhurik checkpoint. Currently, there is no operational checkpoint on the Armenian state border that is not under the full oversight of the Armenian NSS Border Guard Troops,” the report states.

Earlier in the year, reports emerged regarding the withdrawal of Russian border guards from Akhurik, but Armenian authorities had not confirmed the information until now.

Previously, Russian personnel were also withdrawn from the Armenian-Iranian border checkpoint and Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport. Service on both the Armenian-Iranian and Armenian-Turkish borders is now carried out jointly with Armenian border guards.

By Vafa Guliyeva