Mobile Centre top taxpayer status
Mobile Centre, which imports and re-exports phones and other electronic communication devices mostly to Russia, became Armenia’s top taxpayer for the first three quarters of 2026 according to the State Revenue Committee. The company specializes in electronics and communication devices. In 2021, the SRC ranked the firm 42nd with 4.4 billion ($12 million) in paid taxes. Since 2022, the company increased its paid taxes almost 18 times to reach 77.8 billion ($215 million) by the end of 2025. Mobile Centre maintains its top position after paying 64.3 billion ($178 million) in taxes. I find it hard to ignore that this massive tax windfall relies on Russia using former Soviet countries to circumvent sanctions. Samvel Aleksanyan, a former member of parliament from the Republican Party, owns the company. He also owns the Yerevan City Supermarket chain. Mobile Centre distributes smartphones from Xiaomi, Apple, and Samsung, and it also sells computers and other electronic items.
Trade data and company background
Russia used former Soviet countries to circumvent sanctions after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions, importing goods to un-sanctioned countries and then shipping those goods on to Russia. Mobile phones and TVs lead the trade between Russia and Armenia. During the first half of 2025, Armenia exported mobile phones worth $332 million and TV sets worth $100 million to Russia. Overall 2025 exports to Russia were $2.9 billion, making up 35% of all Armenian exports. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reports that Russian-Armenian trade shrank by 50% to $6.7 billion between January and November 2025, but Russia still accounts for 35.5% of Armenia’s total foreign trade. Re-exported goods, such as mobile phones ($789 million), TVs ($100 million in the first half of 2025), and computers, were the most valuable items. The previous leader on the top ten list was the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, which employed over 4,600 workers in 2025. Other top taxpayers include Grand Tobacco, Philip Morris Armenia, International Amasis Tabak, Arshinbank, Ameriabank, Soft Construct, Digitain, and Gazprom Armenia, which is a 100% subsidiary of the Russian state energy company Gazprom.
