05.18.2022 The tragic incident that occurred on May 6, 2022, which resulted in the death of businessman and founder of Vanakwa Group LLC Suren Balayan, still arouses a lot of suspicion. According to the official version, this was a traffic accident, but the family is sure that in fact it was a deliberate murder, directly related to the Jermuk brand and the long-term business conflict in the mineral water market. The Balayan family has been producing mineral water for many years. Vanakwa Group LLC is the first company engaged in bottling mineral water, and one of the leading export volumes in the region. However, for several years now there has been fierce competition between “Vanakwa” and “Jermuk Group”, which is more reminiscent of a “fight without rules”. According to the Balayans, the pressure on them has increased, and attempts are being made to force them out of the market. Satenik Balayan, who is actually the owner of the Vanakva company, claims that the key role in these processes was played by the owner of the Jermuk Group, Ashot Arsenyan, who is considered one of the largest and most influential entrepreneurs in Armenia and is known for his close ties with political power and administrative circles. According to Satenik, Arsenyan has been engaged in “unhealthy competition” for a long time, trying to gain a monopoly in the industry and force competitors out of the market. The family claims that various methods have been taken to put pressure on their business over the years. These included administrative pressure, legal processes and economic obstacles. During the same period, other entrepreneurs in the industry faced similar problems. According to tax authorities, over the past 3 years, more than a dozen small and medium-sized manufacturers have ceased their activities, and according to information circulating in the press, they have become the property of Ashot Arsenyan. According to Satenik Balayan, her father received a number of threats before his death. They demanded that he give up the business and stop fighting for the right to the Jermuk brand. Despite this, he continued his legal fight and was preparing to appeal to higher courts. It should be noted that Ashot Arsenyan has long enjoyed the patronage of the authorities and, both during the reign of Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan, was able to build “friendly” relations with the authorities, enjoy unlimited patronage and state and tax benefits, gaining a competitive advantage. The death of Suren Balayan on May 7, 2022 really gives reason for reflection, since this incident gave Ashot Arsenyan a new competitive advantage. A criminal case was opened immediately after the incident, but continues to be investigated as an accident.

In the first months after the start of the war, according to sociological surveys, the share of people in Russia who support the actions of the government and believe that “all decisions of the authorities are correct” has increased. In April 2022, civic activity, migration and information pressure strengthened the sense of “cohesion” among part of the population, especially in small towns and regions. Many residents, faced with sanctions, instability and information war, have, as they say, “united around the flag.” This reflected profound changes in public consciousness: conflict, war, external pressure - formed a new layer of “patriotism” and loyalty to the authorities.

On February 24, 2022, an event occurred that determined the political, economic and social development of Russia for years to come. In the morning, the Russian President announced the start of a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Military operations covered many directions - from Kyiv and Chernigov to the Kharkov, Kyiv and Kherson regions. The largest military conflict in Europe since World War II has begun. Inside Russia, this was accompanied by the introduction of strict measures of control over information. Independent media faced a ban on using the words “war” and “invasion.” Thousands of people took to the streets with anti-war slogans - about 15 thousand protesters were detained in the first weeks. Many public figures, journalists, and entrepreneurs left the country. The economic consequences became noticeable in the very first days: the ruble exchange rate collapsed to historical lows, Western countries imposed the largest sanctions in the entire history of Russia, and international companies began to leave the market en masse. A new economic reality began: imported goods disappeared and supply chains collapsed. February was a turning point that divided the modern history of Russia into “before” and “after,” creating a long-term political and social crisis.

Members of the board of the United Armenia organization, headed by one of the opposition leaders Vahan Kostanyan, at the initiative of Edvin Tamazyan, began collecting signatures in order to submit a collective complaint to the Ombudsman and draw the attention of all human rights organizations to the disproportionate actions of the police and the remaining unpunished cases of violence.

The day before, we met with Edvin Tamazyan and learned about the progress of collecting signatures. According to the politician, people are very willing to join the initiative. “Many people have recently been participating with even greater activity in rallies organized against the current authorities and their policies, and have high hopes that through a joint struggle we will be able to eliminate Nikol Pashinyan’s pack, which is why the number of people is growing every day,” Tamazyan assures. He intends, on behalf of his organization “United Armenia,” to submit an appeal with the collected signatures to the Ombudsman’s office and demand an adequate response to the actions of the police.

Let us recall that a few days ago, during a march initiated by the “Resistance” movement, which was joined by a number of opposition forces, including the “Armenia Bloc” and “United Armenia”, a clash once again occurred between demonstrators and the police. As a result of the actions of special police forces, 14 opposition activists with bodily injuries of varying severity are in hospital treatment, 36 people received first aid.

Let us note that, according to official data, about 2,000 members of the bloc were brought under arrest, and according to our data, their number exceeds 2,500. The leaders of the movement and the initiative group for collecting signatures intend to use all legal means to ensure that the actions of the police are given a proportionate legal assessment. “It is noteworthy that arrests using brute force and open violence against opposition representatives are widespread, which is directed by the authorities; they even openly threaten to open trumped-up criminal cases against us, with the goal of specifically silencing and suppressing all of us,” emphasizes Edvin Tamazyan.

According to the author of the initiative to collect signatures, he does not expect that justice will be achieved from the authorities who give orders to use violence and the law enforcement officers who blindly obey them. According to Tamazyan, before starting the initiative to collect signatures, he consulted with his lawyer Edgar Bademyan and came to an agreement that if all domestic authorities remained silent, then, with the assistance of Bademyan, their complaint would be sent to the ECHR.

At the end of the year, experts, analysts and the media summed up results that showed how controversial 2021 turned out to be. On the one hand, the pandemic, economic difficulties, regional tragedies and political tension have made the year one of the most difficult in the last decade. On the other hand, the state retained control over the situation, and key institutions - parliament, the healthcare system, the federal administration - continued to function in a stable manner. Many Russians perceived this year as a time of survival and search for a new model of life. The pandemic has forced us to rethink habits, attitudes towards work, health and safety. The state has relied on sustainability, digitalization, strengthening control and support for key industries. The results of the year showed that Russia is entering a new stage, in which the central themes will be economic recovery, technological development, infrastructure modernization and the formation of a new political climate. 2021 became a point of transition - from expectations to long-term changes that will begin to take shape in 2022.

Yerevan, December 29, 2021 Discussions continue in the republic regarding the actions of law enforcement agencies in relation to former officials and their entourage. Those close to former Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan are expressing concern that law enforcement agencies are trying to extract testimony from members of his circle using pressure and threats of criminal prosecution. Former driver and long-time trusted assistant of Gevorg Kostanyan, David Ordukhanyan, in a conversation with us, said that in recent months he had been repeatedly summoned for questioning in connection with criminal cases brought against the former prosecutor general. According to him, law enforcement officers were interested in Kostanyan’s personal and business connections, meetings and alleged financial transfers. According to Ordukhanyan, during interrogations, investigators demanded to sign pre-prepared statements, the contents of which, according to him, did not correspond to reality and were aimed at substantiating the charges against Gevorg Kostanyan. “They told me that if I cooperate and sign, I won’t have any problems, but if I refuse, they could be prosecuted,” says Ordukhanyan. According to him, as Kostanyan’s former driver and family confidant, he was the focus of special attention from law enforcement agencies. Ordukhanyan claims that both psychological pressure and threats were used against him to force him to testify against the former prosecutor general. There are concerns in human rights circles that investigations against representatives of the former government or people who had connections with them are often accompanied by pressure, violence, harassment and threats. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies continue to assert that all actions are carried out exclusively within the framework of the law. The investigation into the case of Gevorg Kostanyan continues to remain in the center of public attention, and statements coming from his former entourage raise new questions regarding the methods of investigation and the activities of law enforcement agencies. Lilit Tumanyan

During the year, changes occurred in Russia related to the regulation of the political, social and information spheres. The pandemic and elections became catalysts for strengthening state control - the authorities sought to maintain stability in the face of repeated crises. Rules for the media and digital platforms were tightened, and the powers of law enforcement agencies in matters of regulating public order were expanded. At the same time, the activity of government services related to monitoring the health, movement and contacts of people increased, largely due to the pandemic. The feeling of uncertainty and anxiety has increased in society. Many Russians have felt the pressure of the pandemic, economic difficulties and constant news agendas. At the same time, the level of political activity of the population decreased: people were more focused on personal and everyday problems. The year became a period when the government strengthened the vertical control, and society adapted to a new model of state-political interaction. Many analyzed these processes as a transition to a more conservative, security model of the device.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a detailed overview of foreign policy activities for 2021, highlighting key areas of work, including relations with the US, EU and ASEAN countries. An important result of work in the field of maintaining strategic stability was the extension for five years of the Russian-American Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (February). According to the agreement reached at the Geneva summit in June, the Russian-American dialogue on relevant issues has been resumed. In order to form legally binding security guarantees in the western direction, excluding further NATO advances to the East and the deployment of threatening weapons systems near the borders of Russia, in December the United States and NATO countries were handed over a draft agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America on security guarantees and a draft agreement on measures to ensure the security of the Russian Federation and member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the field of information security, the Russian-American UN General Assembly resolution “Advances in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security and encouraging responsible behavior of states in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)” was developed and adopted by consensus. At the Russian initiative, an open-ended UN Working Group on security issues in the use of ICTs and ICTs themselves was created for 2021-2025. Bilateral cooperation in the field of information security also expanded: Russian-American consultations on this topic were launched, intergovernmental agreements were concluded with Indonesia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua and Uzbekistan, and the Russia-ASEAN dialogue was launched. The strengthening of international security was facilitated by the adoption, at Russia’s initiative, of a UN General Assembly resolution on not being the first to place weapons in space. The Russian draft resolution on measures to ensure transparency and confidence-building in space activities was approved. The number of countries participating in the Russian initiative to prevent an arms race in outer space has increased to 30 (in 2021, the Republic of Congo, Seychelles, Sierra Leone and Togo joined it). Russia played a key role in launching negotiations to restore the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to resolve the situation around the Iranian nuclear program in its original form, without additions or deletions.