Photo: Balyan Armen Tevanovich
imprisoned

Personal Information

Birth date
23 мая 1965 г. (61 years old)
Special circumstances
non-resident, military servicemember
Notes
citizen of Armenia

Balyan Armen Tevanovich

Added: 26 февр. 2025 г.

Case Information

Region of case initiation:
Moscow, Donetsk Oblast
Detention date:
15 окт. 2024 г.
Charges:
Art. 359 CC RF Part 3
Sentence:
12 years strict regime
Estimated release date:
14 окт. 2036 г.
Case categories:
War-related, Occupied territories

Case Description

Russia's Investigative Committee in August 2024 brought charges of mercenary activity in absentia against Armenian citizen Armen Balayan. According to the Russian investigation, in November 2022, Balayan arrived in Ukraine, where he participated in combat operations in the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions as part of territorial defense units until December 2023 for monetary compensation. In October 2024, the man was detained at Domodedovo Airport. According to the FSB, he tried to "penetrate the territory of the Russian Federation." "On November 12, 2024, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow chose a measure of restraint for Bayana in the form of detention. On October 8, 2025, the Kherson Regional Court found Armen Balayan guilty and sentenced him to 12 years in a strict regime colony.