Kocharyan's morning – what awaits the separatist after the elections

Karabakh criminal Robert Kocharyan was once asked what he was going to do on the evening after the elections on June 7. He replied: "Celebrate."

It is unlikely that the ex-president of Armenia really believes in his victory. No matter how much of a scoundrel he is, he has been in politics for a long time and is more or less able to distinguish a chair from a window. However, he follows the rules of the game and convinces the disoriented masses that he will win, and if the current authorities try to take away his "victory" and go against the "will of the people," they will get a "revolution."

Before the 2021 elections, he also promised Armenians various miracles. A year after Armenia's catastrophic military defeat, the opposition had no doubt that Pashinyan was finished. Kocharyan promised the Armenians eternal friendship with Russia and economic prosperity. He promised to build the North-South railway, which the Karabakh clan failed to build during the twenty years of its rule. In 2021, he promised that, becoming prime minister, he would restore "military might" and within 2-3 years return Shusha and Hadrut, as well as "restore" separatist control along the perimeter of the border of the former NKAO. Vision has always deceived revanchists. They believed that the Armenians, angered by the loss of foreign lands, would amicably go to the polling stations to vote for those who promised to return Shusha to them. But the prospect of a new war, on the contrary, scared and alienated the citizens. You can talk all you want, but the neighbors, I think, no longer wanted to fight and die. It was clear to everyone that no one would voluntarily give up Shusha or Hadrut to Armenia.

This time, Kocharyan is already more cautious. He does not promise military victories, because in recent years the Armenian society has managed to get used to a peaceful life in the absence of conflict. It is impossible to inspire the citizens of the country with militaristic appeals. The stories about Armenia's "former greatness" will not make it popular either. Armenians do not want war. And Kocharyan, having got his bearings, promises that he will not reset negotiations with Baku, but a peace treaty with Azerbaijan "must be accompanied by international guarantees, including a statement by the UN Security Council and clearly defined consequences in case of violation of the agreement." And anyway, under his rule, Azerbaijan will not attack Armenia, because he is cool, he is a strong leader, and in Baku, as he must see it, they are afraid of him.

And who told the Karabakh criminal that Baku would sign a peace treaty with him? Baku will not shake hands with Kocharyan or Karapetyan's Yerevan. Kochayarn is a criminal and a case has been opened against him in Azerbaijan. And Karapetyan, in an effort to please the masses, does not follow the language well, forgetting that he is heard not only in Armenia, but also in Azerbaijan.

As for what the Karabakh criminal will do after June 7, the Armenian investigative authorities have their own answers to this. In May 2026, the Anti-Corruption Committee opened a new criminal case against Robert Kocharyan under articles on abuse of power and money laundering on an especially large scale.

It should also be recalled that in February 2022, the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan opened criminal cases against former Armenian presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, both of whom were put on the wanted list.

So Kocharyan won't have time to make a revolution. A rich and interesting life awaits him.

As the character in the movie "Don't be afraid, I'm with you" said: "They were going there, they were being chased. They're coming from there, they're being chased. What an interesting life people have!"

"Robert Kocharyan is the nominee of Russian circles as an alternative to Samvel Karapetyan. And as a safety net. In case both parties enter parliament and are able to form a coalition, thereby reducing the number of seats for Nikol Pashinyan's party. Kocharyan has no prospects, but he needs to save his own skin. A new criminal case has recently been opened against him, and he is under serious pressure. It's only thanks to Russian patrons that he's not behind bars yet.

All these threats about the revolution... Notice how Kocharyan's rhetoric has changed. He realized that there were no points due to past "merits". The times of Kocharyan's presidency are not very popular in Armenia. Everyone agrees that the rule of Kocharyan and Sargsyan was a dark period for the country, and therefore there are unlikely to be enough people who want to see him in parliament, let alone as prime minister. Given this, he builds his campaign on the thesis that he did not surrender Karabakh, but Pashinyan surrendered, that Azerbaijan did not fight with his Armenia, but, seeing a weak leader, started a war.

The election promises have also been adjusted. Kocharyan no longer promises to return Karabakh. He only says that Azerbaijan will not attack Armenia if he, Kocharyan, is elected prime minister. In principle, Azerbaijan is not going to attack Armenia anyway. Kocharyan understands this, but wants to show that in his time Armenia was much stronger, and Pashinyan will not be able to restore "former greatness".

However, he doesn't have much to count on. He has little support. It is possible that he and his party will not get into parliament at all. There are still many people in Armenia who have not yet decided, or do not want to reveal who they will vote for, so as not to face unfriendly aspects after the elections.

But what Robert Kocharyan can really expect after June 7 is an arrest."