Russia and Armenia have been friends for centuries. Armenia, a landlocked country located in a tough geopolitical environment, is highly reliant on the Russians for everything from trade and political backing to military assistance. The two are technically treaty allies and members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led equivalent to the U.S.-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Economically speaking, Russia’s share of Armenia’s total trade is roughly 26 percent, a significant proportion.
Yet a week of chaos in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has the potential to upset this long-standing bilateral relationship. Armenia, shellacked after an Azerbaijani military assault in the enclave, is left desperate and reeling. And Armenia’s political leadership, often deferential to its ally in the Kremlin, is increasingly upset about what it views as nonexistent Russian support in the face of an aggressive neighbor.
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