Armenia’s Tennis Stars Elina Avanesyan and Alina Charaeva Hit the Court With 200 Young Players in Tsaghkadzor
Armenian tennis players Elina Avanesyan and Alina Charaeva took to the court with about 200 children and young athletes in Tsaghkadzor on Sept. 5, offering them a chance to train alongside two of the country’s leading women’s players. The masterclass at the Tsaghkadzor Main Sports Complex was organized by the Keron Development Foundation and the Armenian Tennis Federation. Participants traveled from Yerevan and other parts of Armenia for training sessions, games and competiti
Ruben Vardanyan’s Wife Offers to Travel to Baku — Azerbaijani Media Warns She Could Face 5 Years in Prison
An Azerbaijani media outlet says Veronika Zonabend, the wife of imprisoned Armenian philanthropist and former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, could face up to five years in prison if she travels to Baku, citing a 2022 visit she made to Nagorno-Karabakh. The report surfaced as Zonabend renewed her push for direct access to Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan. On Sept. 8, Zonabend wrote to Armenia’s National Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan after learning of h
Russians Who Relocated to Armenia Gather in Yerevan to Learn How to Build a Life There
Russians who have relocated to Armenia gathered in Yerevan on Tuesday for a practical discussion on how to navigate life in the country, from opening a bank account to securing residency and understanding immigration rules. The Armenian Report attended the gathering. The Sept. 8 gathering was organized by Kovcheg, a Russian emigrant support organization, as part of its “Kovcheg Talks” series. The meetings are designed to connect newer arrivals with Russians who have already g
Ruben Vardanyan’s Wife Asks to Join Alen Simonyan on Possible Visit to Azerbaijan
The wife of imprisoned former Artsakh official Ruben Vardanyan has asked to join Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan on any visit to Azerbaijan, urging him to press Baku over the treatment and release of Armenian prisoners. Zonabend said she learned of the possible trip through media reports and welcomed Simonyan’s willingness to visit Azerbaijan. She said the trip could offer a rare opportunity to address the prisoners’ treatment and give their families direct contact
Armenia Moves to Tighten Citizenship Rules With Residency Requirements, Tougher Ancestry Checks and Higher Fees
Armenia is moving to tighten access to citizenship, proposing new residency requirements, tougher checks on Armenian ancestry and steep fee increases under a government plan that would reshape who can obtain an Armenian passport. The changes would affect both foreign nationals and ethnic Armenians, who have traditionally had an easier path to citizenship. Applicants would be expected to show a meaningful connection to Armenia, including legal residence and time physically spe
Armenian President Cites 4,800 War Deaths, Nearly 1,000 More Than Official Count
Armenia’s Investigative Committee has restated the official death toll from the 2020 war with Azerbaijan after President Vahagn Khachaturyan cited a figure nearly 1,000 higher than the government’s documented count. The committee said 3,833 people were killed during the 44-day war, including 3,755 servicemen and 78 civilians. Another 191 people — 172 servicemen and 19 civilians — remain missing. The figures were released after Khachaturyan, during an official visit to the Cze
Armenia Files EAEU Complaint Over Russian Trade Barriers
Armenia has formally raised concerns within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) over trade barriers affecting Armenian goods, saying the restrictions run counter to the bloc’s rules and should be addressed through its existing legal mechanisms. Deputy Economy Minister Tigran Gasparyan said Armenia has filed a complaint with the EAEU and expects the organization to take steps to remove the barriers. “We have filed a complaint, and we hope — and are confident — that the mechanis
Elina Avanesyan Sets Sights on Representing Armenia at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Elina Avanesyan has set her sights on representing Armenia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a goal the country’s top women’s tennis player believes is increasingly within reach as Armenia strengthens its national team. “Competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is one of our biggest dreams,” Avanesyan told reporters in Armenia. “It carries even greater responsibility because we would be representing Armenia at the Olympic Games.” Avanesyan, who switched sporting representat
Azerbaijan Begins Blasting at Its Occupied Artsakh Section of Armenia’s Sotk Gold Mine
Azerbaijan has begun blasting operations at the Zod gold deposit along its border with Armenia and is considering construction of a new ore-processing complex, moving ahead with large-scale development of a mine that has been at the center of years of military tension and cross-border fire. AzerGold, Azerbaijan’s state-owned mining company, said Sept. 7 that it carried out its first drilling and blasting operation at the deposit, known as Soyudlu in Azerbaijan and Sotk in Arm
Armenia’s Top Court Sends Criminal Case Against Catholicos Karekin II Back to Armavir
Armenia’s Court of Cassation has ordered a criminal case against Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and six senior clergymen back to a court in Armavir, rejecting an earlier attempt to move the proceedings to Yerevan. The Sept. 7 ruling settles a jurisdictional dispute that delayed the case for weeks and sent it between courts before reaching Armenia’s highest court of appeal. The case accuses Karekin II and six members of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Supreme Spiritual
General Who Helped Build Armenia’s Army Gives Up Citizenship, Vows Never to Return
Lieutenant General Norat Ter-Grigoryants, one of the military commanders who helped build Armenia’s armed forces after independence, says he has given up his Armenian passport and will never return to the country, citing deep opposition to the government in Yerevan. Ter-Grigoryants, who lives in Russia, told Armenian newspaper Iravunk that he personally surrendered his passport at an Armenian consulate. “I went to the consulate and returned my Armenian passport,” he said. “Th
Belarus Bans Import and Sale of Armenian ‘Yerevan 2800’ Brandy
Belarus has banned the import and sale of an Armenian brandy after regulators said laboratory tests found it did not meet required standards, a move that comes as relations between Yerevan and Minsk remain strained following a bitter dispute between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The ban covers the eight-year-old “Yerevan 2800” brandy produced by MAP CJSC in Armenia’s Armavir region. Belarus’ State Committee for Standardization c
Azerbaijan Used Ruben Vardanyan’s Funding of Schools, Kindergartens and Mass Weddings as Evidence of Criminal Activity
The Azerbaijani court that sentenced Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison tied him to killings, military operations and other events stretching back to the late 1980s, including incidents that occurred years before he moved to Nagorno-Karabakh, according to an Armenian human rights lawyer who reviewed the case. Siranush Sahakyan, who represents the interests of Armenian prisoners before the European Court of Human Rights, detailed portions of the case Friday during a news co
Pashinyan Says Armenia Is Wasting Water as Farmland Sits Unused
Armenia is wasting large amounts of water through outdated irrigation systems while thousands of hectares of farmland remain unused because they cannot be reliably supplied, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Friday as his government laid out plans to overhaul the country’s water sector. Speaking at a Sept. 4 workshop on water reforms for 2026-2031, Pashinyan said problems with drinking water, irrigation and wastewater treatment affect communities across Armenia. He said mos
