Russian authorities have reportedly denied entry to prominent Armenian businessman and former lawmaker Samvel Aleksanyan, widely known as “Lfik Samo,” for the second time in just over two years, according to 168.am.
Aleksanyan reportedly arrived in Moscow on November 8, 2026, aboard a flight from Yerevan. Russian border guards held him at the airport for approximately six hours, conducted checks, and ultimately refused him entry.
According to the report, Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan was aboard the same flight, traveling to attend a meeting of security council secretaries from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries.
The incident follows a similar refusal in October 2024, when Russian authorities prevented Aleksanyan from entering the country.
At the time, Sputnik Armenia, citing 24News, reported that the restriction was linked to Aleksanyan’s alleged business dealings with Ruben Tatulyan, a Sochi-based Armenian businessman wanted by Russian law enforcement authorities.
Aleksanyan, who had reportedly traveled to Russia with his family to attend a wedding, was held at the airport for several hours before being sent back to Armenia. His family members were permitted to enter.
Russian authorities have not publicly clarified the reason for the latest reported refusal or whether the earlier restrictions remain in effect.
One of Armenia’s most influential businessmen, Aleksanyan has maintained extensive political and commercial connections under successive administrations, including those of former President Serzh Sargsyan and Nikol Pashinyan.
With interests spanning food imports, supermarket chains, textile manufacturing, and other industries, Aleksanyan served in parliament from 2003 to 2018 and was closely associated with Sargsyan’s “Republican Party of Armenia.”
During that period, his businesses faced repeated allegations of monopolistic practices, preferential treatment, and tax irregularities.
Pashinyan himself was among his critics. In March 2016, while serving as an opposition lawmaker, he accused Aleksanyan of potentially evading millions of dollars in taxes through arrangements involving sugar imports and production. Aleksanyan denied the allegations.
However, following the 2018 political transition, Aleksanyan publicly expressed support for Pashinyan and withdrew from the Republican parliamentary faction in June of that year.
By November 2019, Pashinyan was personally attending the inauguration of three textile factories operated by Aleksanyan in Yerevan, publicly welcoming their expansion and expressing his administration’s willingness to support further business development through existing legal mechanisms.
The shift from public accusations to cooperation was accompanied by documented financial contributions from Aleksanyan’s relatives and affiliated businesses to Pashinyan’s political circle.
According to the Fact Investigation Platform, Aleksanyan’s relative Hrachya Sharoyan, then identified as the owner of Alex and Holding, donated 10 million AMD ($27,700) to Pashinyan’s “Civil Contract” party in 2020, the maximum individual contribution permitted under the legislation at the time.
Financial contributions also extended to foundations headed by Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan. RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported that Mobile Centre, a retail business linked to the Aleksanyan family, donated 10 million AMD ($27,700) to Hakobyan’s “My Step” Foundation.
Businesses associated with Aleksanyan’s family have also continued to receive substantial customs-duty exemptions under Pashinyan’s administration.
A December 2025 RFE/RL investigation examined exemptions granted to family-linked companies, including Alex Textile, which received an exemption valued at approximately $290,000 despite a significant reduction in its workforce.
The company employed 959 people in 2023, a figure that had fallen to 420 by September 2025. The State Revenue Committee raised concerns about inconsistencies in the company’s financial reporting before the exemption was approved under an investment program that included a commitment to create 50 jobs.
In December 2025, Pashinyan’s government separately approved an estimated 23.8 billion AMD ($62 million) customs-duty exemption for Alex and Holding, a company linked to the Aleksanyan family, for raw materials intended for sugar production.
Further decisions followed in 2026. In January, Lex Tobacco Company received approval for an exemption estimated at 2 billion AMD (5.5million),whileinAugust,theapprovedexemptionforAlexTextilewasexpandedto113.8millionAMD(308,000), according to Sputnik Armenia.
The amounts represent estimated customs duties waived under state-approved investment programs, not direct payments to the companies. The August decision expanded an existing exemption rather than creating an entirely separate benefit, and the reported figures should not be added together without accounting for potential overlap.
Although the exemptions and political donations are documented, the available evidence does not establish that the financial contributions influenced the approval of these incentives.
Aleksanyan has also been named in reporting concerning economic contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On April 29, 2026, Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives met in Aghveran, where Deputy Prime Ministers Mher Grigoryan and Shahin Mustafayev participated in discussions that included economic cooperation and potential trade between businesses from the two countries.
NEWS.am identified Aleksanyan among the Armenian businessmen reportedly attending the meeting, alongside representatives of other major businesses.
Journalists documented a vehicle linked to Aleksanyan leaving the venue, while official photographs confirmed the presence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations. His personal participation was reported by NEWS.am but was not independently established through an official participant list or a photograph clearly identifying him at the meeting.
The latest reported Russian entry refusal comes amid Aleksanyan’s continued business activities under Pashinyan’s administration and reported involvement in developing commercial contacts with Azerbaijan.
Russian authorities have not publicly disclosed the grounds for the latest reported decision, and no evidence has emerged establishing a connection between the entry restrictions and Aleksanyan’s political or business activities.
