Investigative committee examines claims of 12,000 Wagner PMC fighters in Armenia

The Investigative Committee of Armenia has confirmed it is continuing a preliminary probe into reports that some 12,000 fighters from the Wagner private military company are present in the country, Caliber.Az reports via Armenian media.

The matter dates back to September 2023, when Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told parliament that Telegram channels had circulated claims about Wagner arrivals and that the National Security Service (NSS) was verifying those reports within the scope of its authority.

In December 2023, the NSS said it was continuing its inquiries, and later responded to another request by stating that the criminal case had been transferred to the Investigative Committee.

Armenian outlets say the rumours first surfaced on a pro-government public page ahead of the Yerevan Council of Elders elections. Early posts alleged the arrival of roughly 3,000 fighters; later claims escalated the figure to 12,000. The channel asserted that the purported fighters were intended to “carry out a coup and remove Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from power.”

The Investigative Committee’s ongoing preliminary investigation seeks to establish the facts behind these widely circulated allegations.

By Tamilla Hasanova