A mercenary from Armenia who fought on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was arrested in Moscow: why is he in Russia

Armenian citizen Armen Balyan, who participated as a mercenary in the fighting on the side of Ukraine, was detained at Domodedovo Airport, the RF IC reported.

As noted, in October 2024, Balyan was detained at Domodedovo Airport while attempting to enter the territory of the Russian Federation.

"The investigation established that in November 2022, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Balyan, arrived across the border with the Republic of Moldova to Ukraine, where, as part of the territorial defense units, until December 2023, he took part in hostilities on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as the Kherson region, for a monetary reward," the department said.

They recalled that on the basis of the evidence obtained during the investigation in August 2024, Balyan was charged in absentia with mercenary activities (part 3 of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), he was put on the wanted list.

"During the interrogation, Balyan pleaded guilty to committing the crime he was charged with, gave exhaustive testimony, and confirmed the facts of participation in the armed conflict as a mercenary previously established by the investigation. The accused explained that he had received several injuries during his service. His unit, which was fighting on the territory of the DPR, was disbanded due to the fact that there were no soldiers left there, almost all were wounded or killed. He received another concussion in the Kherson region, during an attempt, together with other servicemen of the armed formations of Ukraine, to penetrate to the bank of the Dnieper River occupied by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The accused also said that he has only the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia," the RF IC noted.

At the request of the investigation, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for Balyan.

The investigation continues to clarify the circumstances and the true purpose of his stay in Russia.