Armenia's former defence minister, Major General Arshak Karapetyan, was arrested in Moscow on December 29 but was later released. The Armenian Interior Ministry confirmed this information to the Novosti-Armenia news agency.

Karapetyan was detained at the request of Armenia and was later freed after posting bail, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. The former defence minister was previously listed on the international wanted list by the Armenian government due to "participation in illegal business activity," abuse of authority, and abuse of official position.

From August to November 2021, Karapetyan was Armenia's defence minister. From 2018 to 2021, he was Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's advisor. According to Pashinyan, the former minister was fired after claiming that the border was fully under control on the morning of November 14, 2021, even though Azerbaijani troops had entered Armenian territory in several areas and set up positions.

Afterwards, Karapetyan formed an opposition political group called the All-Armenian Front, which called for stronger relations with Russia and Iran. The relationship between Yerevan and Moscow, which has been based on strong military ties, has worsened after Russian peacekeepers failed to stop Azerbaijan's 2023 offensive. This offensive resulted in Baku taking control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.