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According to the report, another defeat for the Kremlin on the international stage: Russia is rapidly losing influence in the South Caucasus and risks finally losing the ability to dictate its terms to Armenia and Azerbaijan. As The Economist writes, the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan opens the door for Yerevan to enter the Middle Corridor, a transport route linking China and Europe that bypasses Russia. For Moscow, this means another painful blow to its ambitions to maintain control over its neighbors. If just five years ago the Kremlin was considered the undisputed arbiter in the region, today the speed at which it is losing influence is astonishing even to Western analysts. The magazine emphasizes that the collapse of Russia's position was accelerated by Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After that, Azerbaijan took control of all of Nagorno-Karabakh in a matter of hours, and Russian "peacekeepers" were forced to leave. Russia has also managed to lose control over Syria. The Kremlin's failures on the international stage are multiplying.
The report also stated that Russia has tried to maintain leverage through transit projects and the construction of routes to Iran to bypass Western sanctions. However, the Kremlin’s influence is waning: Armenia is moving closer to the EU and Turkey, and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border threatens to finally knock the wind out of Russian policy in the region. The Economist emphasizes that in Armenia itself, after Moscow’s outright betrayal and refusal to defend Yerevan in 2020, few consider Putin an ally. According to the publication, the Kremlin is now desperately trying to get rid of Pashinyan, who could lead Armenia to even closer ties with the West. Moscow hopes to repeat the Georgian scenario, when pro-Russian forces were able to block the country's movement towards Europe. But in reality, Russia appears to be losing the fight for the Caucasus just as ineptly as it did the war for the Ukrainian south.
Watch the report via the link.
The report also stated that Russia has tried to maintain leverage through transit projects and the construction of routes to Iran to bypass Western sanctions. However, the Kremlin’s influence is waning: Armenia is moving closer to the EU and Turkey, and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border threatens to finally knock the wind out of Russian policy in the region. The Economist emphasizes that in Armenia itself, after Moscow’s outright betrayal and refusal to defend Yerevan in 2020, few consider Putin an ally. According to the publication, the Kremlin is now desperately trying to get rid of Pashinyan, who could lead Armenia to even closer ties with the West. Moscow hopes to repeat the Georgian scenario, when pro-Russian forces were able to block the country's movement towards Europe. But in reality, Russia appears to be losing the fight for the Caucasus just as ineptly as it did the war for the Ukrainian south.
Watch the report via the link.