Samvel Karapetyan (businessman)

For the Armenian historian, see Samvel Karapetyan (author).
Samvel Karapetyan
Սամվել Կարապետյան
Born (1965-08-18) August 18, 1965 (age 60)
Kalinino, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union (now Tashir, Lori, Armenia)
EducationYerevan Polytechnic Institute
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseMarried
Children3
Awards
•⁠ ⁠ Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots
Websitehttps://merdzevov.org/

Samvel Sargsi Karapetyan (Armenian: Սամվել Սարգսի Կարապետյան; Russian: Самвел Саркисович Карапетян; born August 18, 1965) is an Armenian-Russian billionaire businessman who owns the Tashir Group conglomerate.

Early life and business career

Karapetyan was born on August 18, 1965, in the town of Kalinino (today Tashir) in the Lori region of Soviet Armenia.[1] He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Yerevan Polytechnic Institute in 1986.[1]

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Karapetyan moved to Russia and in 1997, he became the president of the Kaluga-based Kalugaglavsnab OAO, which provides logistics services, particularly to Russia's state gas company Gazprom.[2] He then expanded into the real estate market of Moscow.[2] In 1999, he established the Tashir Group, a conglomerate of industrial, construction, supply and delivery companies, hotels, restaurants and other firms numbering more than 200 in total and employing more than 30,000 people.[1][2]

One of the most prominent philanthropists in post-Soviet Armenia, Karapetyan is also one of the largest benefactors of the Armenian Apostolic Church. His Tashir Group has made a number of investments both in the Armenian Republic and the then-Republic of Artsakh. Tashir owns two large shopping complexes in Yerevan, as well as a major Armenian electricity company, Electric Networks of Armenia, among other enterprises.[2] In 2013, Karapetyan financed the construction of a new hospital in Stepanakert, capital of the Republic of Artsakh.[3] During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Karapetyan vowed to rebuild the maternity hospital of Stepanakert that was destroyed by the Azerbaijani bombardment on October 28, 2020.[4] In September 2021, he announced that Tashir Group plans to invest $600 million to expand and modernize Armenia's energy sector.[5]

In November 2017, Karapetyan was appointed the president of the football club FC Ararat Moscow, which represented the Armenian diaspora in Russia.[6] In June 2020, he paid part of the 2 billion dram bail for ex-president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan's release from custody.[7]

Political career

In February 2026, the Strong Armenia party was formed to contest the June parliamentary election, with Karapetyan announced as party leader and candidate for Prime Minister. To assume office, Karapetyan would need to renounce foreign citizenships and secure the support of two-thirds of parliament to remove the residency requirement. Karapetyan’s speech at the party conference was done delivered through the use of artificial intelligence to comply with a court gag order.[8]

Controversies

In January 2018, Karapetyan was named by the US Treasury Department in the Putin list, consisting of 114 senior political figures and 96 oligarchs, all of whom rose to prominence under Russian President Vladimir Putin.[9][10]

In April 2021, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case against Karapetyan for allegedly illegally transporting weapons to Nagorno-Karabakh, which Karapetyan denied.[11] Karapetyan was arrested by Armenian authorities on 18 June 2025 for allegedly making public calls to usurp power and transporting military equipments, violating Part 2 of Article 422 of Armenia's Criminal Code.[12] Karapetyan had publicly defended the Armenian Apostolic Church. He stated that "a small group, having forgotten Armenian history and the millennia-old legacy of the Armenian Church, has attacked the Armenian people. I have always stood with the Armenian people. If political leaders fail, we will intervene in our own way."[13] Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan alleged that the Russian government was using Karapetyan to wage a "hybrid operation" in the "hybrid war" against the Armenian government, and trying to find a "Ivanishvili 2.0" for Armenia.[14]

After Karapetyan's arrest, Russia said it "[did] not wish to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs, but [are] watching everything related to a Russian national with the utmost attention." Karapetyan said from prison that his arrest was done at behest of the Azeri government, which had issued an arrest warrant for him four years ago. He said the government had destroyed Armenia's external security, ruined relations with Russia and with its military partners and "sold the public illusions" about "dreams of peace."[14] Former president Robert Kocharyan denounced the arrest as a "national disgrace" and described Pashinyan's actions as "anti-national and unlawful."[14] Tigran Abrahamyan, secretary of I Have Honor Alliance said the arrest appears to be aimed at removing support for the Church and "will achieve nothing."[14]

A week after his arrest, primate Bagrat Galstanyan was arrested and charged with plotting a coup to overthrow Pashinyan's government with a group of ~1,000 ex-military and police loyal to him.[15]

Awards

In 2011, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan awarded Karapetyan with the Mesrop Mashtots Medal "for significant contribution to the promotion of national interests, long term and fruitful pro-Armenian activities, dedication to the development and advancement of the Republic of Armenia and provided services."[16]

Wealth

According to Forbes, his net worth in September 2021 was estimated at $5 billion.[17] In March 2013 Karapetyan became the richest ethnic Armenian in the world, overtaking Armenian-American businessman Kirk Kerkorian.[18][19]

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Wealth ($ billion) 0,75 1,4 1,6 3,8 4,3 4,0 3,1 3,4 3,7 3,7 2,5 3,3 1,1 2,7 2,9
Ranking (in the world) 879 804 353 345 418 549 564 606 568 836 1143

Personal life

Karapetyan is married, with three children (two sons and a daughter).[20][21] Karapetyan's son, Sarkis, and daughter, Tatevik, are top managers of Tashir. Tatevik also heads the area of cinema chain development.[22] He owns an 85 meter Lurssen superyacht named ACE.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Самвел Карапетян Биография". Vedomosti (in Russian). Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Danielyan, Emil (2017-11-02). "Russian-Armenian Tycoon Expanding Influence in Armenia". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  3. ^ "Tashir group invests USD 22 mln in new medical center in Stepanakert". mediamax.am. 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  4. ^ "Tycoon Samvel Karapetyan vows to rebuild Stepanakert hospital after Azeri air strike". armenpress.am. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  5. ^ "Samvel Karapetyan plans to invest nearly 600 million USD in Armenia's energy sector". armenpress.am. 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  6. ^ Президентом ФК ”Арарат” избран Самвел Карапетян (in Russian). FC Ararat Moscow. 17 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Российские бизнесмены выплатили залог за экс-президента Армении". РБК. 20 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Amsterdam & Partners LLP: Political Prisoner Uses AI to Launch PM Bid Against Would-Be Dictator Who Jailed Him". 12 Feb 2026.
  9. ^ Sheena McKenzie, Nicole Gaouette and Donna Borak (30 January 2018). "Full list of Russian oligarchs released by US". CNN. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  10. ^ "Samvel Karapetyan and Danil Khachaturov in US black books". arka.am. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  11. ^ "Tashir group of companies says Azerbaijani accusations against Samvel Karapetyan are outrageous". arka.am. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  12. ^ Novruz, Akbar. "Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan arrested in Yerevan". Azer News. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  13. ^ Minoyan, Hoory. "Armenian authorities target businessman Samvel Karapetyan amid church dispute". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d "Moscow attempting 'Ivanishvili 2.0' operation in Armenia, says analyst". JAM.news. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  15. ^ Papachristou, Lucy. "Armenia arrests archbishop over alleged coup plot". Reuters. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  16. ^ "President Serzh Sargsyan attended the ceremony of inauguration of the research compound of Matenadaran - Domestic visits - Updates - The President of the Republic of Armenia". www.president.am. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
  17. ^ "Samvel Karapetyan". Forbes. 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  18. ^ "Russian-Armenian beats U.S.-Armenian on latest Forbes billionaire list". ArmeniaNow. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  19. ^ "World's richest Armenians according to Forbes; Kerkorian no longer leads list". Tert.am. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ "Հպարտ եմ, որ հայ եմ. Սամվել Կարապետյանի զրույցը Forbes-ի հետ". CivilNet (in Armenian). 16 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Forbes profile: Samvel Karapetyan". Forbes. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Samvel Karapetyan". forbes.com. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  23. ^ TARMAC, L'AMI DU (2020-07-09), ACE 85M 2012 Lürssen Yachts Owner Samvel Karapetyan Russia For sale EUR145 millions 09 07 20 Golfe de St Tropez, retrieved 2021-08-13
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samvel_Karapetyan_(businessman)