Putin loses another ally. They have no doubts

Armenia has taken further steps that indicate its distancing from Russia - noted the American Institute for War Studies in its latest analysis. Putin is losing another ally. Until now, Armenia has been a country dependent on Russia for security.

In recent days, the authorities of Armenia have taken further steps indicating that this country is distancing itself from Russia; these actions include, among other things, a lack of engagement in military and diplomatic initiatives within the framework of multilateral organizations controlled by Moscow.

The Armenian armed forces are not participating in exercises subordinate to the Kremlin's Collective Security Treaty Organization, which are currently taking place in Kyrgyzstan.

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, did not fly to this country either, which means he will not be participating in the Commonwealth of Independent States summit planned for Friday in Bishkek. Additionally, on Wednesday, the head of the Armenian government announced that if the so-called Russian peacekeeping forces end their mission in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan, they should return to Russia, not to the Russian base in Armenia - we read in the ISW report.

Belonging to the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and also in conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan, Armenia has so far remained a country dependent on Russia in the field of security.

In recent months, the authorities in Yerevan have begun to distance themselves from Moscow. "The policy of my country, relying solely on Russia for security guarantees, was a strategic mistake," announced Pashinyan in early September. According to him, Moscow was unable to fulfill its obligations towards Yerevan, and it's in the process of withdrawing from its previous role in the South Caucasus region.

"We express extreme dissatisfaction due to recent remarks of Armenian authorities, made publicly (addressed to us)" - admitted sources in the Russian foreign ministry, quoted on September 4 by the government media of that country. Four days later, the Armenian ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry in a protest gesture against, as it was described, "unfriendly steps" of Yerevan against Moscow.

Between September 11-20 in Armenia, international exercises Eagle Partner 2023 were organized with the participation of US troops. On September 8, the Ukrainska Prawda portal reported that the authorities in Yerevan - for the first time since February 2022, i.e. the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - provided humanitarian aid to Kiev.

On October 3rd, the Armenian parliament ratified the Roman Statute of the International Criminal Court, which means that in the event Vladimir Putin appears on Armenian territory, the authorities in Yerevan would be obligated to arrest him,. In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin and the Russian children's rights spokesperson Maria Lvova-Belova, accused of war crimes involving the unlawful deportations of children from occupied territories in Ukraine to Russia.

On September 19, Azerbaijan began a military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh - an enclave mostly inhabited by Armenians, but de jure belonging to Azerbaijan, which lasted for two days. After the enclave was taken over by Azerbaijani forces, the Karabakh authorities announced the end of the unrecognized republic as of January 1, 2024. In the second half of September and October, over 100,000 Armenians left the separatist region and went to Armenia.

Prior to the last military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which occurred in the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan reasserted its sovereignty over part of the disputed territory. Since then, a Russian contingent of so-called peacekeeping forces has been stationed in the region.