Red Berets deployed to Armenia's Gyumri amid tensions over opposition mayor’s detention VIDEO

Reinforcements in the form of the elite Red Berets have arrived in Gyumri from Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, amid escalating tensions in the city.

The specialized units gathered at Renaissance Square, where clashes intermittently erupted between the forces and local residents supporting opposition mayor Vardan Gukasyan, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The heightened security presence follows the launch of an operation earlier in the day to detain Mayor Gukasyan and seven members of his administration. They face accusations of accepting bribes, prompting protests and unrest among their supporters.

According to the investigation, opposition mayor Vardan Gukasyan and seven others were detained on charges of bribery. The inquiry reveals that Gukasyan, together with the chief architect of the mayor’s office, allegedly conspired to prevent the demolition of an unauthorized structure measuring approximately 1,500 square metres on Garegin Nzhdeh Street. In return, they purportedly demanded and accepted a bribe of around $10,000 from the property owner.

On October 1, during a parliamentary government hour, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Mayor Gukasyan of distributing bribes during the March elections. Pashinyan described it as a “misunderstanding” that Gukasyan subsequently assumed leadership of the city administration and pledged to “rectify this misunderstanding.”

By Vafa Guliyeva