YEREVAN, ARMENIA — The Kremlin is turning the screws. Today’s snap parliamentary elections in Armenia are a litmus test for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s pro-Western pivot. But Moscow is not sitting idle.
State media outlets have been hammering Pashinyan for weeks, branding him a traitor. Leaked diplomatic cables suggest Russia has threatened to cut gas supplies if the pro-Western bloc gains ground. The opposition, backed by shadowy oligarchs with ties to Moscow, is mounting a fierce challenge.
Backroom deals are being cut in real-time. One former minister whispered to me: ‘The game is rigged, but Pashinyan still thinks he can win.’ Polls show a neck-and-neck race.
The West is watching nervously. If Pashinyan falls, the Caucasus tilts back into Russia’s orbit. If he wins, expect a new cold war within a cold war.
The counting begins tonight. Stay tuned.
