Axar.az presents the interview with Russian political scientist, analyst, and historian Oleg Kuznetsov about Kocharyan's arrest and the official Kremlin's position on this issue and the outcome of the arrests:

- What is the essence of Kocharyan's arrest?

- Kocharyan is the witness of a large amount of confidential information on various issues of Russian-Armenian relations. That's why everything depends on what the US Special Investigative Service and the US will do with the FBI and the CIA. Events in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2009 are an official "opportunity" for Kocharyan to be held and kept in custody. It will be questioned in the whole spectrum of issues of concern to the US and to the new authorities of Armenia.

- Will Armenia's Special Investigation Service be able to overcome forces who work for Russia?

- It has already known that the Special Investigation Service of Armenia was established to destroy the illegal armed units of Armenian separatism, particularly the Karabakh clan of Kocharian and Sarkisian. In this regard, the destruction of protests that resulted in the deaths of 10 people and injuries of about 200 in Iravan was only one episode of Kocharyan and Sarkisian's policy of violence in 2000 - 2018.

- What are the questions which are interesting to the investigation service?

- With great certainty I can say that this is one of the key questions that Armenia's Special Investigation Service will be interested in: In what ways the state budget of Armenia was transferred to the accounts of the Armenian oligarchs in Russia, and Kocharyan is one of them. These oligarchs return to Armenia after living for 6-7 months in Russia, and their profits are added to the Russian state budget. The Russian government was very positive about such investments, especially during a period of global economic crisis and international sanctions. At the same time, the Armenian population was in poverty and fed Armenian oligarchs who live in Moscow. Obviously, the Kremlin will have difficulty expressing its position on this issue, and moreover, Russian federal and regional officials have sold land plots to Armenian oligarchs for the construction of real estate in Moscow and other regional centers. So, the announcement of names of Russian ministers and governors who work with Armenian billionaire in anti-corruption fight in Armenia, it can be a major blow to Russia

It is no secret that "Garabagh clan" came to power as a result of the terrorist act committed by Nairi Hunanyan's warriors at the National Assembly in November 1999.

- These people have been in prison for a long time.

- All of them have been held without trial and investigation for 18 years and any court or amnesty should not be publicly available. I do not exclude that Kocharyan was the organizer of this terrorist act. Because he has gained the biggest "income" - he became president.

- At the same time, a question arises: who is the client of this crime?

- Levon Ter-Petrosyan repeatedly alludes, that the tip of the incidents goes out to Moscow. At that time, the President of the Russian Federation was Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin was the FSB Director. Putin and Kocharyan came to power almost simultaneously, and therefore, the Special Investigation Service will have a great success if it finds a "Kremlin trail" during the investigation of this crime. And if Kocharyan confesses that he was acting on the instructions of Putin, it will be a great insult to Russia.

- It turns out that Russia does not want to save its loyal partner this time ...

- In general, for the Russian political leadership today, Kocharyan's death is a better option.
But one voice from my inside tells me that - if they do not get information about Russia what they need, 1,500 American diplomats accredited in Armenia, Kocheryan's prison mate and the guards will not let him sleep or hang himself. So, what can we say about the Kremlin's position on Kocharyan's arrest? In this case, the Kremlin itself needs help