Seeing conspiracies in Armenia where none exist – The Washington Post
Mr. Putin’s propaganda apparatus, however, has been quick to draw conclusions. Russian media said the US embassy had orchestrated the protests to replicate last year’s popular revolution in Ukraine. “You know how the color revolutions, and the Maidan in Ukraine started,” said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. That was a reference to the Kremlin’s favorite conspiracy theory: that the popular uprisings in Kiev and other Eurasian capitals were not spontaneous but meticulously fomented by the CIA.
What’s most remarkable about this deluded reaction is that it is not mere bombast. Consumed by cynicism and paranoia, Mr. Putin and the circle around him appear to regard any manifestation of unrest within Russia or the neighboring states it aspires to dominate as the product of secret plots. The possibility that Armenians, an impoverished people whose leaders have sold most of their economy to Russia, might be genuinely aggrieved at a 17 percent electricity price increase imposed by an opaque, Moscow-based cartel is dismissed within the Kremlin as naive.
Armenian President Serge Sargsyan, though a Russian client, is not quite so out of touch. While publicly rejecting the idea that the protests were anti-Russian, Mr Sargsyan did his best to defuse them after the police attack failed. He said that the state would cover the cost of the price increase while the electricity monopoly was subjected to an audit, and hinted that the company might be nationalized or resold. He also extracted $200 million in fresh military aid from Moscow, as well as a promise that a Russian soldier accused of murdering an Armenian family would be turned over to the local justice system.
That failed to end the protests, and Mr. Sargsyan’s decision to align his government with the Putin regime is looking shortsighted. Armenia last year became just the third country, after Belarus and Kazakhstan, to join theEurasian Economic Union, Mr. Putin’s attempt to create a Moscow-dominated bloc. During a visit to Washington in May, Mr. Sargsyan told us the decision was pragmatic: Armenians working in Russia provide a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product, and Russia is its sole energy supplier. “Armenian cognac can’t really be sold in Paris,” he added.
Now, however, Armenia and other clients are suffering from Russia’s economic crash. The decline of the ruble has dragged down Armenia’s currency, while the plummeting profits of energy conglomerate Inter RAO UES, chaired by U.S. sanctions target Igor Sechin, have pushed it to extract more revenue from its Armenian subsidiary. In short, Armenians don’t need American prompting to revolt; Mr. Putin and his gang are providing plenty of impetus.
Videos
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'Mr. President, It Is Now in Your Power to Right Decades of Denial' - US Congressman Adam Schiff Urges Joe Biden to Recognize Armenian Genocide
Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in Despair After Trauma of Military Defeat - France 24
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Buildings and Homes Lying in Ruins in Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital After Azerbaijani Shelling
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Iconic Armenian Church Hit in Azerbaijani Attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh City (photos)
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War Situation in Karabakh on European Parliament's Agenda
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There is a solid evidence that Azerbaijan has launched a thoroughly planned attack on the NKR
EU calls for Immediate End to Hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh
- 15:20 • 24.05.21 Interview with Francis Malige, EBRD Managing Director
- 11:39 • 24.04.21 Armenians Commemorating 106th Anniversary of Genocide
- 09:40 • 23.04.21 Biden Under Pressure to Recognize Armenian Genocide - KTLA 5 News
- 15:34 • 22.04.21 Governance and Oversight Capacities Account for Our Bank's Robust Management System - Philip Lynch, Independent Board Member at Ameriabank
- 14:09 • 21.04.21 'Mr. President, It Is Now in Your Power to Right Decades of Denial' - US Congressman Adam Schiff Urges Joe Biden to Recognize Armenian Genocide
- 12:37 • 03.04.21 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in Despair After Trauma of Military Defeat - France 24
- 17:33 • 11.03.21 Interview with Kakhaber Kiknavelidze, an Independent Member of Ameriabank Board of Directors
- 17:57 • 26.01.21 Only Terrorists Keep Hostages, Putting Forward Preconditions for Their Release - Edmon Marukyan
- 13:33 • 22.01.21 Rep Adam Schiff Says Congress Should Recognize Artsakh
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- 16:37 • 30.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Units Neutralizing Azerbaijani Arms Supplies
- 11:25 • 28.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Units Neutralizing Azerbaijani Drone
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- 11:40 • 24.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Units Inflicting Manpower Losses on Azerbaijan
- 10:39 • 24.10.20 Gas Pipeline Damaged in Azerbaijani Fire Targeting Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital
- 12:41 • 23.10.20 President Armen Sarkissian Meets Emmanuel Macron at Élysée Palace
- 12:16 • 23.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Neutralizes Azerbaijani Military Hardware
- 12:02 • 22.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Units Neutralizing Azerbaijani Military Infrastructures
- 10:35 • 22.10.20 President Armen Sarkissian Meets with NATO Secretary-General in Brussels
- 10:51 • 17.10.20 Buildings and Homes Lying in Ruins in Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital After Azerbaijani Shelling
- 15:09 • 15.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army's Precision Fire Gives Deadly Blow to Enemy
- 13:13 • 13.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Units Destroying Azerbaijani Tank
- 12:56 • 12.10.20 Zohrab Mnatsakanyan: Ceasefire Does not Mandate Azerbaijan to Kill Civilians and Hit Civilian Settlements
- 12:23 • 12.10.20 Armenians Protest Outside Turkrish Embassy in Los Angeles
- 17:23 • 09.10.20 Losses in Azerbaijan's Military Featured in Defense Army Footage
- 15:53 • 09.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Neutralizing Adversary's Transport Column
- 14:11 • 09.10.20 Turkey openly backs Azerbaijan 'far more aggressively than in the past' - ABC News on Syrian mercenaries fighting in Karabakh
- 15:52 • 08.10.20 Iconic Armenian Church Hit in Azerbaijani Attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh City (photos)
- 10:57 • 08.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Continues High-Precision Strikes
- 14:24 • 07.10.20 War Situation in Karabakh on European Parliament's Agenda
- 19:31 • 05.10.20 Call for Urgent Action: Armenian Journalist Brings Intn'l Colleagues' Attention to Situation iin Artsakh After Azerbaijani Attacks
- 16:17 • 04.10.20 Turkey's Support to Syrian Mercenaries Fighting Against Artsakh: Facts About Azerbaijani Aggression
- 12:39 • 04.10.20 Nagorno-Karabakh's Capital Under Azerbaijani Strikes
- 13:49 • 03.10.20 Armenian Armed Forces Neutralize Azerbaijani Defense Positions
- 10:12 • 29.09.20 ArmenianTroops Destroy Azerbaijani Armored Fighting Vehicle on Frontline
- 23:42 • 28.09.20 There is a solid evidence that Azerbaijan has launched a thoroughly planned attack on the NKR
- 18:45 • 28.09.20 EU calls for Immediate End to Hostilities over Nagorno-Karabakh
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