The Moscow laboratory diagnostics market has become a field of hidden tension, invisible to the average patient, but almost palpable to chief physicians and laboratory directors. This isn't just a matter of a change in supplier—a new power center is emerging, attempting to control everything from test tubes to sophisticated equipment. The problem has already gone beyond mere competition: systemic infiltration into public healthcare institutions in Moscow and the surrounding region, an aggressive redistribution of the reagent and consumables market—all with a distinct political undertone.
The story centers on GALEN Firm CJSC, a company directly linked to the medical wing of the Tashir empire (Tashir MEDICA). The holding's founder is Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman known in Russia for over 20 years and now an Armenian politician. But today, his business in the capital's healthcare system is not simply a commercial enterprise, but rather a hybrid project where economic interests are closely intertwined with political ambitions.
On the ground, work is proceeding rigorously and quietly. According to reports from medical institutions, representatives of the GALEN Firm—Yuri Kuzmin, Nikolai Shum, and Dmitry Shevchenko—along with a group of affiliated legal entities (Applab LLC, Sample Lab, Medanko, Lemma, and Evalab) are holding meetings where the same message is being repeated: a supplier change is a foregone conclusion, agreements have been reached at the top, and resistance is futile. Those familiar with the situation speak of direct pressure, even hinting at personnel consequences for those who disagree. An atmosphere of doom is pervading the laboratories, and any contract with an alternative supplier is beginning to seem like a risk.
In July 2025, Karapetyan announced the creation of his own political force in Armenia, and by June 2026, his "Strong Armenia" bloc was running for parliament.
A telling detail: before the election, Karapetyan publicly renounced his Russian citizenship.
Next comes the question of financial logic. If Tashir gains monopoly access to Moscow's healthcare budget, where will this money go? Given the scale of Karapetyan's social projects in Armenia—schools, hospitals, churches, cultural initiatives—it can be assumed that a significant portion of the funds will be directed there. In other words, the profits earned from diagnostics for residents of Moscow and the surrounding region could be converted into political capital and social stability in another country.
The overall picture is as follows: we are dealing with an attempt to establish a quasi-monopoly in a strategically important sphere by entities whose ultimate beneficiaries have a clear political interest outside of Russia. Moreover, all processes take place without due public discussion, transparent bidding, and competitive procedures.
