TCHAKAROV: Armenia’s export shock

Emil Lazarian Leave a comment
Intellinews
Oct 2, 2026
By Ivan Tchakarov of GlobalSource Partners October 2, 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that “If peppers are spoiling, I’ll pay for those peppers. If roses are spoiling, I’ll pay for them, too” was an emotionally-charged outburst that was tied to the restrictions imposed by Russia on a number of Armenian agricultural exports in May. With about three months since these sanctions were levied, we have some hard data to assess how effective they have been or, taking Yerevan’s point of view, how successful Armenia has been in diverting agricultural trade to other destinations.

From shock to adaptation

The key number I look is what I call the replacement ratio, i.e., the increase in exports to non-Russian destinations divided by the volume of lost exports to Russia. On that measure, Armenia replaced only 15% of lost Russian fresh-produce volume in June, the first full month of disruption. However, July saw a meaningful improvement to 48.5% and provisional August data points to a something in the 37-47% range.

The improvement is definitely not trivial. It shows that agricultural exporters were able to react reasonably quickly, find alternative export destinations and redirect at least part of their produce. It is also true, however, that a significant portion of the former Russian business remains unreplaced. If we take June and July together, Russia-bound shipments in the critical fresh-produce basket fell by 56,282 tonnes (Table 1). Additional shipments to other markets rose by 17,987 tonnes. In other words, only 32% of the Russian loss was replaced, leaving roughly 38,300 tonnes — or 68% of the lost Russian volume — unfilled.

The maths behind that calculation is important to catch. Simply looking at total non-Russia exports would exaggerate the adjustment because some of those exports existed before the onset of the export shock. What matters is the incremental volume that was gained after the imposition of restrictions.

The July rebound was for real as fresh-produce exports rose to 17,183 tonnes from 8,070 tonnes in June. More importantly, the total export shortfall versus the same month of 2025 narrowed sharply, while additional non-Russia exports climbed to about 13,800 tonnes. Non-Russia exports in July were roughly five times larger than the corresponding period of last year.

Table 1: About 32% of lost fresh produce exports to Russia were replaced over June-July

The apricot problem

But the aggregate numbers also conceal exceptional concentration.

Peaches, nectarines and sweet cherries performed exceptionally well. In July, additional exports to non-Russian destinations were actually larger than the volumes lost to Russia, producing replacement ratios above 100%. Total shipments of those products were also around 30% above their July 2025 levels.

Apricots told the opposite story — and it dominated the overall result

Apricot exports dropped from 42,902 tonnes in June-July 2025 to 10,376 tonnes during the same of period of 2026. That 32,527-tonne decline accounted for a hefty 85% of the net fresh-produce shortfall. Tomatoes and plums/cherry plums added most of the remaining weakness.

There could be an important catch here as the apricot collapse may not be entirely about Russia. Armenia’s economy minister pointed to frost, hail and heavy rain as reasons for a weaker harvest. A useful sensitivity test adds some weight to that argument: excluding apricots raises the June-July replacement ratio from 32% to 70%, and July’s ratio to 76%.

But that does not make the Russian restrictions irrelevant. Rather, two shocks appear to be overlapping: a market-access shock and a supply shock. It is, however, hard to disentangle the two effects without an independent harvest data.

Diversification — but where?

The geography of new export destinations is equally revealing for interpreting the results. Armenia is diversifying, but mostly within its broader (CIS) region, rather than making a dramatic leap into high-income Western markets.

Georgia and Uzbekistan together accounted for 66.5% of the incremental non-Russia gain in June-July (Table 2). Add Ukraine and the share rises to 82.4%. Uzbekistan was the largest destination by 2026 fresh-produce volume in the data, with Georgia generating the largest incremental increase.

The EU, by contrast, accounted for only 4.1% of the incremental gain.

That could potentially change. The EU has already moved to provide temporary trade preferences for Armenian products following Russia’s 2026 restrictions, potentially improving access to the European market.

But for now, Armenia’s export adaptation is overwhelmingly a regional story, not yet a European one.

There are also sectors where adaptation has been far less robust. Flowers, for example, look superficially stable in absolute shipments as the July’s replacement ratio was a mere 8.1%. Fish is even more concerning: exports fell from 823 tonnes in July 2025 to just 64 tonnes in July 2026, with additional non-Russia shipments replacing a paltry 6.1% of the Russian shortfall. A 60-tonne shipment of fish and products to the UAE announced in early September is encouraging, but still far too small and recent to talk about a durable alternative market.

Table 2: Uzbekistan, Georgia and Ukraine account for 82.4% of all incremental gain in fresh-produce exports

The investor takeaway: volume is not revenue

The central message may be one of partial adaptation without full diversification. The data weaken a claim that Armenian exporters cannot find alternative export destinations. Equally, they fail to support a claim that the Russian market has already been replaced or that the Russia-related trade risk can be removed from consideration.

Exporters have shown decent flexibility, and the improvement from June to July has been reasonably large. August, while incomplete, does not suggest that this adaptation suddenly reversed.

But there is an important catch: volume is not revenue. Exporters may be selling into new markets at different prices and with higher freight, spoilage, financing and working-capital costs. Government compensation may also affect the economics. A tonne redirected to Georgia, Uzbekistan or the UAE is not necessarily economically equivalent to a tonne previously sold in Russia. That makes it dangerous to translate the 32% volume replacement ratio mechanically into an equivalent recovery in export earnings.

This is precisely why the Russian market cannot yet be treated as “replaced” in any meaningful sense.

The most defensible conclusion then is somewhere in between the two extremes. Armenia has certainly demonstrated better capacity to re-route exports than the initial shock suggested. On the other hand, the adjustment is not yet fully realised, since it is rather localised in few products and very dependent on regional markets.

The Russia-related trade risks may have become a little less for now, but to say that they no longer exist at all would certainly be too early. The next test that lies ahead could perhaps be the most crucial one – whether the new trade routes of trade will stand the test of time or not.

Ivan Tchakarov is partner for the Caucasus and Central Asia at GlobalSource Partners.


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Beirut: What Was Discussed in the Call Between President Aoun and His Armenian

Arpi Talalian Leave a comment
Daily Beirut
Oct 2, 2026

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, during which they discussed regional developments and bilateral relations.

President Joseph Aoun received a telephone call from the President of the Republic of Armenia, Vahagn Khachaturyan, and they reviewed the current situation in Lebanon and the region.

The two presidents discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop them in all fields.

The Armenian president extended an invitation to President Aoun to visit Armenia to discuss issues of mutual interest. President Aoun thanked him for his invitation, noting that the date would be determined through diplomatic channels.

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Iran, Armenia stress removing border obstacles, increasing transit capacity

Khoyetsian Rose Leave a comment
TEHRAN TIMES, Iran
Oct 2, 2026

Iran, Armenia stress removing border obstacles, increasing transit capacity

  1. Economy
October 2, 2026 – 18:7

TEHRAN- A joint meeting was held between Iran’s Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development and Head of the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, and a delegation from the Republic of Armenia, with the presence of Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Territorial Management, at the Nordooz border terminal.

According to IRNA, citing the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, in line with expanding trade and logistical relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Armenia and making maximum use of the two countries’ transport, transit, and infrastructure capacities, a joint meeting was held between Reza Akbari, Deputy Minister of Transport and Urban Development and Head of the Road Maintenance and Transportation Organization, and a delegation from the Republic of Armenia, with the presence of Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Territorial Management, at the Nordooz border terminal.

The meeting focused on developing transport and transit cooperation, strengthening the two countries’ role in regional transit routes, and identifying and removing existing obstacles. During the meeting, increasing border exchange capacity, improving the level of services at official crossings, facilitating the movement of commercial fleets, and strengthening logistical infrastructure and border hinterlands were reviewed and discussed.

In continuation of their cooperation, the two sides will pursue the removal of existing obstacles, reducing the time required for border and customs procedures, improving the efficiency of border terminals, and increasing regional transit capacity.

It is worth noting that the Nordooz border terminal, as one of the important communication crossings between Iran and Armenia, has considerable capacity for developing trade exchanges and regional transit.

In late September, the Director General of the Central Asia, Caucasus and Russia Office of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran announced a 7.5% increase in Iran’s exports to Armenia during the seven months of 2026, putting the value of goods exported from Iran to Armenia in that period at $385 million.

According to IRNA, citing the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, Mehdi Babaei said, referring to the joint Iranian-Armenian border and customs meeting held on September 12, in Jolfa, that at the meeting the two sides stressed the development of customs cooperation and the facilitation of trade between the two countries.

He described one of the most important agreements of the meeting as the signing of a customs green corridor memorandum of understanding between Iran and Armenia, and said: “The necessary measures for the electronic exchange of customs documents and data, as well as identifying and introducing authorized operators, will be pursued more rapidly.”

Babaei, emphasizing that the implementation of these measures can provide the basis for facilitating and accelerating customs and transit processes at the two countries’ border, added: “Based on the agreements reached, if the desired requirements are met, the truck reception capacity at the Norduz border can increase to 300 trucks per day.”

The Director General of the Central Asia, Caucasus and Russia Office of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran considered the development of customs infrastructure, electronic exchange of information, and increased truck traffic capacity at the Norduz border as paving the way for trade facilitation and strengthening Iran-Armenia economic and transit relations.

The joint Iranian-Armenian border and customs meeting was held with the presence of the heads and directors of the customs administrations of the two countries, the Armenian ambassador in Tehran, the embassy’s commercial attaché, and representatives of relevant bodies of both countries.

EF/MA

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Azerbaijani soldier who entered Armenia fired at local residents

Elizabeth Jabejian Leave a comment
JAM News
Oct 2, 2026
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

On 1 October, an Azerbaijani soldier entered the village of Shaki in Armenia’s Syunik Province. He shot a 39-year-old local woman in the leg with an assault rifle. The incident happened in front of her three children, two of whom also suffered injuries.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Nasim Musayev.

The Armenian National Security Service issued a brief statement only after people began discussing the incident on social media. It emerged that Azerbaijan’s State Security Service had informed its Armenian counterparts on 29 September that a serviceman had left his unit under unknown circumstances.

“Authorities could not rule out the possibility that he had illegally crossed into Armenia. The competent authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan then launched search operations,” the statement said.

According to Azerbaijani law enforcement authorities, Nasim Musayev went missing on 26 September.

It remains unclear when he entered Armenian territory. Authorities found and detained him only after he committed the crime.

Armenian analysts point to previous similar cases in which Azerbaijanis who illegally crossed the border and committed crimes went back to Azerbaijan. They expect authorities to punish the Azerbaijani serviceman to the full extent of the law this time as well. If Armenian authorities decide to return him to Azerbaijan, they suggest taking into account the fact that 19 Armenian prisoners remain in Baku’s jails.

The incident has sparked outrage in Armenian society and prompted widespread discussion on social media. Against the backdrop of repeated statements by the authorities that peace has arrived, users commented on the incident with the short phrase: “Long live peace.”

  • Rights activist Siranush Sahakyan: ‘Lives of all Armenians held in Baku are in danger’
  • Armenia-Azerbaijan exports could begin ‘soon’: Pledges, figures and remaining barriers
  • ‘Even if nuclear power plant is shut down, Armenia will not face serious problems’: Reaction to Aliyev’s remarks

Witness accounts

“My brother and sister came home from their classes and saw that the window was broken. They called our mother. She and our father came by car. My mother had a knife in her hand. She always kept it with her in case something like this happened, so she could protect herself. My mother went inside and stabbed him with the knife. The man then fired a shot and ran away,” the injured woman’s son told a local media outlet.

Meanwhile, her sister said the Azerbaijani man took the children hostage, while their mother, who tried to protect them, lost three fingers on her left hand.

In an interview with Radio Azatutyun (Freedom), she said her sister’s two children were talking to their parents on the phone as they walked home from school. They then saw that the lock on their front door had been broken. When they entered the house, they saw an Azerbaijani soldier in the living room. They tried to call their mother for help, but the Azerbaijani man took their phone away.

According to the injured woman’s sister, the Azerbaijani man was pointing his weapon at the children when their mother entered the house. She tried to cover the barrel with her hand. Musayev then fired, causing her to lose fingers on her left hand.

The sister also said the injured woman had to defend herself. While the soldier tried to reload his rifle, she stabbed him several times. However, the soldier struck her and knocked her unconscious. Her 15-year-old son then fought with the Azerbaijani man and suffered a broken arm.

The health of the mother and children

The woman suffered gunshot wounds to her thigh and arm. She first received medical treatment at a medical centre in Sisian and then went to a clinic in Yerevan.

According to reports, her life is not in danger and her condition remains stable. However, she needs surgery.

The woman’s 15-year-old and 12-year-old sons also suffered injuries.

“The child born in 2014 has soft-tissue bruising, while the child born in 2011 has a fracture of the right wrist.”

Doctors put a cast on the boy with the fracture. The other boy needed psychological support.

“Azerbaijani citizen killed the plant’s security guard” – Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office

An Azerbaijani soldier kills a guard at a mineral plant in the Syunik region after he and a colleague strayed into Armenia

Information from Yerevan and Baku

There is little official information about the incident.

The Armenian National Security Service initially issued a statement:

“At 14:15 on 1 October, the 112 emergency centre of the Interior Ministry received a report that an Armenian citizen had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg in the settlement of Shaki in Syunik Province. Operational teams from various police units went to the scene. They took urgent measures to establish all the circumstances of the incident. They established that an Azerbaijani serviceman had committed the crime and detained him.”

Armenian authorities reportedly passed details of the incident to the Azerbaijani side.

Baku provided information about the serviceman who crossed the border only after the incident in Shaki.

According to Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, Nasim Musayev went missing from his military unit in Lachin on 26 September. Authorities opened a criminal case over his disappearance. The investigation confirmed suspicions that Musayev had left the military unit voluntarily.

“As a result of the measures taken, authorities established that Nasimi Musayev was in Armenia and that the relevant authorities of that country had detained him,” Azerbaijani law enforcement authorities said.

They also stressed that they were working with their Armenian counterparts to establish the details of the incident.

Criminal cases opened

Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced yesterday that it had opened a criminal case under charges of “causing serious bodily harm with the use of a weapon”, “illegal possession of a firearm” and “violation of the inviolability of a home”.

The omission of the illegal border crossing from the statement sparked outrage in Armenia.

Today, the authorities said they had added charges of illegally crossing the border and smuggling a firearm.

‘We are not on our knees, we are fighting for justice’: David Babayan’s message from Baku prison

Former foreign minister of the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic calls Azerbaijan trial “a performance whose script was written in advance”

Analysts’ views

Political analyst Suren Surenyants highlighted the fact that the Armenian side received information about a possible border violation at least two days before the incident:

“It is worrying that, despite the warning and the announced search, authorities found Musayev in Shaki only after he used a firearm against an Armenian citizen. The search operations did not prevent him from potentially crossing the border illegally, entering Shaki or opening fire.”

According to Surenyants, the authorities need to clarify the following:

  • how the Azerbaijani serviceman crossed the state border and travelled from Lachin to Shaki,
  • where he entered Armenian territory, how he bypassed border controls and security systems,
  • why authorities failed to find him either within two days of the warning or roughly five days after he disappeared,
  • what legal procedures await the Azerbaijani serviceman?

“Authorities have already opened a criminal case. The next question is whether they will bring the case to its legal conclusion, meaning conduct a full investigation into the circumstances of the illegal border crossing and the use of a weapon against an Armenian citizen, or whether political agreements will determine the case,” he stressed.

The political analyst also expects answers to the following questions:

  • if Armenia considers handing Musayev over to Azerbaijan, will it raise the issue of returning Armenian prisoners held in Baku?
  • what legal and political conditions could determine such a decision?

Surenyants noted that, more broadly, the incident exposed the lack of effective border control in Armenia.

Azerbaijan expert Tatevik Hayrapetyan suggested viewing the events in Shaki in the context of previous cases. She recalled:

  • in 2019, Armenian authorities, with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, returned Elvin Ibrahimov to Azerbaijan after he illegally crossed Armenia’s state border. They described the decision as a “humanitarian step”.
  • in 2023, Azerbaijan also received Huseyn Akhundov, who killed 56-year-old Hayrapet Meliksetyan in Armenia and received a 20-year prison sentence.

Tatevik Hayrapetyan stressed that Armenia should rule out a similar approach in this case:

“An attack on the life and safety of an Armenian citizen cannot lead to the return of the perpetrator to Azerbaijan under ‘humanitarian’ pretexts. The authorities must investigate this case to the full extent of the law. If they establish his guilt, the perpetrator must serve the sentence prescribed by law.”

Comments on social media

“The incident involving the Azerbaijani soldier has once again shown the situation at the border. It is a good thing he came alone. He could have come with an entire army, and we would have greeted them with a large ‘Welcome to Armenia’ banner.”

“It turns out that an armed man can cross the state border unhindered, move around for several days, reach a settlement and harm a civilian. This, in turn, means that once again, the citizen has been left alone to fight for his own safety.”

“Peace means that, in ‘peacetime’, an Azerbaijani soldier cannot show up at your home and harm you in front of your children. By 29 September, authorities already knew that an Azerbaijani soldier had left his military unit, and the Armenian side had received information about it. Where was state control once authorities learned that the soldier had left his unit? What measures did they take to prevent him from entering Armenian territory? Where was the government that promised ‘peace’ during the recent election campaign?”

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Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer visiting Armenia

Liana Toganian Leave a comment
Oct 2, 2026

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer is currently in Armenia to tour the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.

The memorial honors the 1.5 million Armenians killed in the ethnic attack beginning in 1915.

Mayor Dyer says being in Armenia has given him the opportunity to better understand the history, culture and traditions that are so important to so many Fresnans, as more than 50,000 Armenians call Fresno home.

The mayor has been giving updates on his trip through social media.

He acknowledged many similarities between Fresno and Armenia, including deep agricultural roots, and recognizing the importance of diversity.

Fresno also has a “sister city” in Armenia.

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Recreating Armenia’s Natural Monument Made up of Basalt Columns in 3D

Andranik Taslakhchian Leave a comment
80.lv, Latvia
Oct 2, 2026

Artur Artinian
3D Environment Artist
Interviewed by
Stephanie Almogabar
02 October 2026
Artur Artinian explains how the iconic organ-shaped natural monument from his homeland inspired his latest project, Sonata of the Stones.

Introduction

My name is Artur Artinian. I’m a 3D Artist working primarily in real-time engines like Unreal Engine, creating environments and digital sets for cinematics, films, and games.

Since my last interview, when I was still a student studying at Gnomon, I’ve graduated and had the opportunity to work on various AAA game cinematics, digital sets for film, and commercial projects with companies like EDGLRD, AGBO, and Workproduct as both an Environment and a Lighting Artist. It’s really been a dream to make that transition from school and use all the knowledge I gained in my classes at Gnomon while working alongside amazing people in a professional pipeline. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities I got and the people I met along the way.

Outside of professional work, I’ve continued to put my free time into personal projects. One of those projects is Sonata of the Stones, which I’m excited to talk about here.

Getting Started with Sonata of the Stones

The inspiration for this environment came from my visit to the Symphony of the Stones natural monument located in Garni, Armenia. When I was a kid, I remember seeing the structure in person and being shocked at how something like this was possible, purely as a result of nature doing its thing.

The colossal structure of these pipe-organ-like basalt columns towering over one another was a visual that’s stuck with me ever since, and it felt like it was finally the perfect time to use the awe-inspiring site as a source of visual inspiration.

Upon finishing my previous project, Path of the Pomegranates, I had the itch to build another space that would fit into the same world as the one presented there. I wanted to add on and build another location that fits right into this same visual universe, inspired by Armenian architecture, mythology, and visual identities, with a dark fantasy twist. My goal for this project was to create something eye-catching and dramatic, while being resourceful by using a very small number of unique assets to create the whole thing.

Concepts & References

I try to approach my environments with the idea that this place existed long before the viewer ever stumbled upon it. There is a history behind this place that we don’t fully understand, and we’re only being shown the remnants of it. I think that sense of an unknown past makes a space feel much larger than what we see on screen. It’s as if the environment has succumbed to the passage of time, but it still stands and wears its age proudly.

This philosophy became the foundation for Sonata of the Stones, with reference gathering playing a huge role in shaping the project. I tried to get many images of basalt formations from the Garni region in Armenia, and basalt column formations in general. This was a crucial step because these basalt columns are formed in a very specific way; I had to look carefully at the way the stones were harmonizing with each other because arranging them in the engine could very easily fall into the ‘visual noise’ category if I failed to capture how these basalt stones blended into each other naturally.

For the blockout, I tried to keep the shapes as simple as possible. At this point, I was testing how the rock silhouettes were looking and focusing on the big forms, checking how the pillars would interact with one another. I created 4 separate meshes that used the same base mesh: one singular pillar, another mesh that had a group of 3 pillars together, and one more that had 4 pillars at different scales and sizes.

Since the whole environment revolves around these repeating vertical forms, getting their proportions and rhythm right was the most important part; there needed to be this sense of repetition since that’s what made the original monument I was referencing so striking, but I also had to be careful not to make the scene seem like there were just a few assets duplicated dozens of times.

I would hand-place these assets I made to get an idea of the shape I was trying to go for in the structure and create a composition based on that. Because I had singular rock basalt assets along with their grouped variations, it allowed me to art-direct in-engine very quickly to get a taste of what I had in mind for the scene.

A big challenge of this project was that I wanted to create a very limited amount of assets; not only to save time, but also to try to train my creative muscles and see how far I could push these few assets to create a visually striking space. It was a constraint I was designing around that became its defining property. It forced me to be more intentional about how I used them, when to use bigger pillars, medium-sized pillars, small-sized pillars, and how they would overlap.

I sculpted only one pillar. Since the pillar has six faces, I sculpted a unique surface on each side so that I could rotate it in the environment. This allowed a single asset to give me six distinct faces to work with, saving me time while giving me variety with one single mesh since I would be rotating the pillars around.

The differences between each face also needed to be subtle enough that obvious repeating patterns would not show up throughout the structure. This helped the repetition feel natural and intentional, just like in the formations I was referencing.

For smaller assets like the candles, I just made simple ZBrush sculpts that were then decimated to a low poly count. The high poly of the sculpt was baked onto these decimated meshes to bring all that detail back while retaining a low polygon count. The same was done for the basalt rock columns.

Texturing

For texturing, I had to find ways to bring a sense of variety because so much of the environment used the same stone texture for its main structure. The stones were textured using a tileable material I created in Substance 3D Designer. I knew I needed to introduce some variation across the columns, so I knew that a simple flat tiling texture wouldn’t be enough.

To achieve this, I created an RGB mask for the stone texture in Substance 3D Painter, which allowed me to control and introduce different variations across the surface.

Each color value has its own generator in Substance 3D Painter – for example, R is edgewear, G is a dirt generator, and B is some surface variation masks that I then bring into the engine. This allows me to introduce texture variation to the columns, giving edgewear, surface variety, and dirt buildup that would help ground the stones and give that extra bit of detail. Below is a video showing the RGB material shader that I created in Unreal Engine and how it was applied to the stone.

The challenge wasn’t necessarily creating a huge library of different surfaces, but rather figuring out how much variation I could get out of the same material without losing the visual identity of the stones. I wanted the material to support the sculpt of the stone, so the RGB mask of the texture was here to just introduce a smaller breakup.

If you look closely, you can see hints of gold paint spreading near the golden sun emblem and the environment around it. This was both an artistic and narrative decision to break up the uniformity of the rock texture that also ties back to the thematic elements; these bits of gold were created with decals I made that were then dressed on top of the stone.

It introduced varying roughness and specularity while also adding pops of color that tied in with the grey of the stones without overpowering the rest of the color palette or overall mood of the scene, introducing some extra roughness variation as well.

Assembling the Scene

I wasn’t trying to build a perfectly realistic geological formation; I was much more interested in creating a striking image that felt grounded in reality yet fantastical. With this in mind, the composition organically came to be through some trial and error. I wanted the environment to feel grandiose, so I knew the camera had to be placed low to the floor, in addition to a low focal length, which helped sell the scale of the structure.

I had a variety of iterations in the blockout process, which is where I constantly refined my composition; for example, how the overall shape of the columns read altogether. I realized there needed to be a split in the middle of the structure to give the composition some balance and create visual interest.

Doing so created much-needed asymmetry in the structure, which I personally feel like makes the structure look more natural and creates some breathing space in the composition. With one side being heavier and slightly taller, and the other one being thinner, I achieved an interesting offset between the two sides of the column structure, with an open split in the middle to really draw our eye to the golden sun emblem and the flame gate that burns underneath it.

For the breakup, aside from the ones I mentioned for the main rock structure, I tried to use the candles in the foreground and the ash-sand dunes for the floor to give visual variety. These visuals also tied into the theme of the environment, reinforcing that sense of light and holiness. The candles worked alongside the glow of the gate, creating smaller points of interest that guide the viewer’s eye throughout the
scene without overpowering the main focal point.

Lighting

Lighting is always one of the biggest focal points in my environments. It’s usually one of the first things I think about when starting a project. With Sonata of the Stones, there was this idea of a marriage between light and shadow, and how the two need each other to create an impact. This was the theme that was at the forefront of my project as I was developing the original concept and reference. The concept is that this light carries more significance when it’s surrounded by darkness.

I feel like I tend to gravitate a bit toward darker-toned environments, but I always have a point where light breaks through the darkness and illuminates the surroundings. It gives the light an emotional quality and creates drama and a story that sets the scene, pulling viewers in rather than just being there purely for technical reasons.

For the light shining through the crack, I used a simple plane with a scrolling emissive texture that glows and gives the effect of an otherworldly light being cast into the environment. The material was simple enough, with just a noise going along a coordinate.

To top it off, I used Light Shafts to create the God ray effect, giving the light a sense of holiness, as if the space itself had become a place of liturgy. Since the bounce light from the emissive gate wasn’t strong enough on its own, I added additional Spot and Point lights to push that warm orange glow across the stone and the sandy ash beneath it.

I went for a more contrasty approach with lighting, where one side of the structure was more engulfed in shadow compared to the other, which really helped create tone and add drama to the environment and set up a visual divide and separation between the two column-like structures.

Creative Challenges

One of the main challenges was the limitation I had set for myself with the unique asset count. As I mentioned earlier, there are only around five truly unique meshes making up the environment. It was a fun challenge, but it also meant I couldn’t solve every visual problem by simply creating another asset. I had to constantly find new ways to reuse what I already had and make it feel fresh through composition, scale, rotation, lighting, and set dressing.

That brings up the issue with repetitiveness too; I had to find ways to subtly break up the repetition of the assets, including the roughness and general color of the main structure. One way I did this was by trying to think about how I could narratively introduce some elements of color to break up all the overpowering grey of the rocks. So the huge lesson for me that I took away from this environment was that you can indeed create an interesting image with a very small amount of assets if you use them correctly; not every visual challenge has to be solved by creating a whole new asset, and in certain scenarios, cleverly reusing assets can really help you focus on the bigger picture.

Since the environment, specifically the rocks, resembled the pipes of a church organ, I wanted to amplify the visual resemblance between the rock formations and the pipes of a church organ, so I knew I wanted to have a custom piece of music created for it. With the title of the piece being called Sonata of the Stones, it only felt right to do so. I was very lucky to work with the talented composer Grigor Abgaryan, who created the original score for the environment. I think the music he created really tied the whole piece together and gave the world a greater sense of weight, capturing the age of the stones as if echoes were still trapped within them.

Advice for Beginners

My advice for beginner artists would be to lean into your originality as much as possible; don’t be afraid to dig deep into your interests and what makes you unique, and share that with the world. It’s really easy when you’re starting to look at successful artists and feel like you need to make the same kind of art, environments, or match someone’s style.

We can all see the same painting or listen to the same song, yet what it sparks in each of us can be completely different. Those individual interpretations can lead to entirely different and original concepts in your own work, which will separate you from others. This is even more important now than ever before with the rise of AI.

Of course, learn all the technical aspects and fundamentals needed; these are extremely important and are constantly changing with new tools coming out. But don’t forget why people learn these things to begin with – to tell their stories, to share their ideas, and to convey emotions to the audience. Technical proficiency is increasingly accessible, so having a personal taste, cultural influences, ideas, and perspective becomes even more valuable.

Artur Artinian, 3D Environment Artist

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Armenpress: South Korea’s Lee urges Pyongyang to restore dialogue

Yeghisabet Arthur Leave a comment
World09:39, 1 October 2026
Read the article in: ՀայերենРусский

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday called on North Korea to help restore trust and resume dialogue, a day ‌after Seoul and Pyongyang traded barbs over a landmine incident that South Korea’s military and the UN Command said amounted to an armistice violation, Reuters reported.

“I hope that the North joins us now on the path of restoring trust and resuming dialogue, following a long interruption,” Lee said in ⁠an address marking the country’s Armed Forces Day, adding that his administration would “consistently pursue practical measures to reduce military tensions between the two Koreas.”

The comments came after Seoul’s military and the UN Command said North Korea violated the Korean War armistice following a landmine blast last week that wounded three South Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected the findings in a statement on Wednesday, accused Seoul of fabricating ‌the ⁠results and warned of retaliation.

Lee reaffirmed his goal of securing the transfer of wartime operational control from the United States to South Korea, calling it part of a long-standing push for self-reliant national defense.

In a wide-ranging defense reform agenda, Lee also said ⁠in his speech that South Korea would build nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s and upgrade missile defense capabilities, including AI-based command-and-control systems and high-energy laser interceptors.

He said the modernization drive ⁠would also involve expanding AI capabilities, restructuring the military for future warfare and strengthening the country’s three-axis defense system for detecting and intercepting missile ⁠threats.

Lee’s government has sought to reopen dialogue with North Korea, but Pyongyang has largely rejected Seoul’s overtures while pressing ahead with border fortification work along the DMZ.

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Putin bans taking more than one million rubles in cash from Russia to Belarus,

Emil Lazarian Leave a comment
Meduza
Oct 1, 2026

The new rules

Russian President Vladimir Putin has banned Russians and foreigners from taking cash exceeding 1 million rubles to other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries — Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan — as well as Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The restriction took effect on September 29.

Previously, individuals traveling to EAEU countries could take the equivalent of $100,000 at the central bank’s exchange rate on the day they crossed the border. People can now take roughly one-eighth to one-ninth as much cash out of the country.

For companies and sole proprietors, the presidential decree merely codified an existing ban on taking any cash out of the country but expanded the list of exceptions.

Individuals face confiscation of any cash above the one-million-ruble limit, while companies and sole proprietors face confiscation of the entire sum. Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Federal Security Service (FSB), and Federal Customs Service will be responsible for enforcing the decree. The government must approve procedures for recording cash taken abroad, with the agreement of Russia’s central bank.

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Who needs to take that much money to these countries anyway?

Lots of people. For example, people who divide their time between two countries.

  • Millions of people from other EAEU countries, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan work in Russia, and they often need to take their earnings home.
  • Many Russians moved to Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. They regularly need to take cash out of Russia, for example, after selling real estate or other major assets.
  • As cross-border transactions became more difficult, Russian business owners also began moving cash abroad under the guise of personal travel to obtain foreign currency for routine payments and expenses or simply to buy goods in neighboring countries.

Experts interviewed by Russian business publications believe the restrictions were tightened mainly to crack down on these semi-legal business schemes. Finance Ministry officials and central bank staff have said the same. The authorities are using the restrictions to try to bring Russia’s economy “out of the shadows.”

The Bell reported that the new restrictions will hit hardest those who paid business partners in cash in the affected countries: small-scale border traders and networks of currency exchangers and intermediaries. The restrictions will also hurt migrants whose off-the-books income cannot be documented with a bank statement.

EU sanctions on nearly 100 Russian banks disrupt key money-transfer routes used by Russians who left after the full-scale invasion

2 months ago
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So what should I do now if I need to take money to one of the countries covered by the decree?

We strongly advise against exceeding the limit. Remember the penalties set out in the presidential decree — you run a high risk of simply losing some or even all of your cash.

For personal use when traveling to the seven countries covered by the decree, it’s best to carry less than one million rubles in cash and transfer the rest electronically. Even Russian Mir cards still work in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, though you may have to look around for an ATM that accepts them.

Several options remain available for transferring money from Russia abroad, including to EAEU countries, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In summer 2026, the human rights organization Kovcheg recommended the following:

  • The IDPay app: Transfers from Russian cards to Armenian cards and vice versa; direct bank transfers to Armenia are also available
  • Unistream: A money-transfer system still available in nearly 10 countries
  • The Avosend service
  • Transfers through Russian Post
  • Russian banking apps, such as Sber’s and T-Bank’s
  • Cryptocurrencies

Caution: Using some of these channels in jurisdictions outside the countries listed above may be treated as sanctions evasion. Be careful and check thoroughly to make sure you aren’t breaking local laws.

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‘We will decide in the coming months’: Pashinyan on choosing model for Armenia

Jhanna Virabian Leave a comment
JAM News
Oct 1, 2026
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced a change in the government’s position on the technology and design of a new nuclear power plant.

“I have said dozens of times before that we do not need anything more [powerful] than a modular nuclear power plant. That was our position. But now we have to understand that a modular plant will most likely not be enough to meet our needs,” Pashinyan said.

He explained that the government changed its position because of the construction of AI factories. Armenia now needs to import electricity to meet their power requirements.

Discussions continue over which technology would best suit the new nuclear power plant. The Armenian government expects to make a decision on the issue by the end of 2027.

A day earlier, the prime minister met a delegation led by Alexey Likhachev, director general of the state-owned Rosatom corporation. They discussed proposals from the Russian side.

Armenia is currently working to extend the operating life of the Metsamor nuclear power plant until 2036. Russia has taken part in efforts to extend the plant’s operating life and modernise it throughout this period. The plant originally entered service in 1977.

At the same time, Yerevan is discussing the construction of a new nuclear power plant with several countries, including the US. The prime minister has repeatedly said in recent months that the nuclear power issue is not a geopolitical choice for Armenia: “We will choose the proposal that serves us best.”

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Pashinyan does not rule out accepting the Russian proposal

Speaking about the upcoming decision on the technology for the new nuclear power plant, the prime minister stressed that before Armenia signed memorandums of understanding with the US on 8 August 2025, Armenia had a surplus of electricity.

“We had to think about where to direct this surplus energy. A year later, Armenia had become a country with an electricity deficit,” he said.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, this resulted from the construction of two AI factories in Armenia during that period:

“The point is that, given the scale of the investment projects already approved, Armenia has faced an electricity deficit. In other words, these projects are fully absorbing the surplus we have. So we need to decide what to do next.”

The prime minister said the government would make a decision in the coming months. Pashinyan also said that Armenia could accept the proposal put forward by Russia:

“It is quite possible that building a 1,000 MW plant will prove to be the most logical solution. However, I cannot say for certain at this stage because experts are still assessing the issue.”

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“The unit should be at least one, with a capacity of at least 1 GW” — Likhachev

Rosatom director general Alexey Likhachev told journalists some details of Russia’s proposal after talks in Yerevan. Likhachev said Armenia would continue to rely on nuclear energy for decades to come. Russia therefore plans to “formulate the most competitive proposal” for building a new reactor unit in the coming months.

“And in our view, this unit should be at least one, with a capacity of at least 1 GW,” Likhachev said.

According to him, the proposal involves a VVER-1000 reactor, a pressurised water reactor with a capacity of 1,000 MW.

The head of Rosatom stressed that this proposal is “the best currently available on the global market”. He added that Rosatom has built and continues to build VVER reactors of this type in India and Iran:

“They combine very high economic efficiency, namely a low cost of electricity, with all the necessary Generation III+ safety systems.”

Details of talks with Rosatom director general in Yerevan

The Armenian prime minister’s office said Pashinyan and Likhachev discussed:

  • work to extend the operating life of the existing second reactor unit at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant;
  • Russia’s proposals for building a new reactor unit.

At the same time, the prime minister told Likhachev that the Armenian government was continuing to consider proposals from other international partners.

Pashinyan stressed that the final decision would depend solely on economic considerations. These would include price, quality, safety, construction timelines and guarantees.

The statement also said Alexey Likhachev described cooperation with Armenian partners as constructive. The Rosatom chief also provided detailed information about the construction of not only large VVER reactors, but also small and medium-sized reactors.

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‘Copper is to us what oil is to other countries’ – expert on Armenia’s minera

Emil Lazarian Leave a comment
JAM News
Oct 1, 2026
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

“Armenia does not have major oil or gas deposits with significant reserves. Instead, it can rely on substantial reserves of copper, molybdenum and gold, as well as rare elements and critical minerals. Gold, silver, copper, molybdenum and polymetals such as lead and zinc are currently in greatest demand. However, so-called critical minerals are gradually becoming increasingly important,” geologist Arshavir Hovhannisyan says.

The head of the Mineral Resources Department at the Institute of Geological Sciences of Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences says the terms “critical minerals” and “rare-earth elements” are sometimes confused in Armenia. He explains that critical minerals are elements, mainly metals, that are particularly important for a country’s industrial development, especially in high-tech sectors.

“Rare elements and rare-earth elements are among critical minerals. Copper, for example, is a critical mineral because neither batteries nor electric motors can function without it, but it is not a rare element,” he told Armenpress agency.

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Copper, gold and silver reserves, but copper is key

“Copper is the queen of metals, the most important metal.

“We also talk about the importance of lithium, but it is likely to be replaced in the foreseeable future. Lithium is a rather unsuitable chemical element for use in batteries. It is highly flammable, performs poorly at high and low temperatures and has a limited number of charging cycles, after which it becomes unusable.

“Scientists are now looking for alternatives to lithium. Sodium and potassium are the most likely candidates. China is already producing sodium batteries using extremely cheap raw materials.

“Sodium, along with chlorine, is one of the main components of table salt, and Armenia has vast reserves of it. Yerevan is largely situated on salt deposits. The Ararat Valley, from Armavir to Arzni, lies entirely on salt deposits. If necessary, Armenia would have no difficulty obtaining extremely cheap raw materials.

Gold and silver can also be used in electrical equipment. The only element for which there is currently no substitute is copper.

“Copper is to us what, say, oil is to some other countries.”

Armenia’s copper reserves could last decades

“Reserves will be depleted in around 50-100 years unless we discover new deposits in the meantime. I think new deposits could be found because we have done virtually nothing in this area for about 35 years.

“Deposits that were not considered particularly promising during the Soviet period may now attract interest. First, technologies for extracting metals from ore have advanced. Second, the price of copper on the global market is rising rapidly.

According to Bloomberg estimates, by 2030-2040 global demand for copper will reach a level requiring 10-15 new mines to be brought into operation every year.

“I mean mines comparable in size to the large Kajaran deposit.

“According to various estimates, producing a conventional passenger car requires 10-15kg of copper, while an electric vehicle requires more than 50kg. Tens of millions of electric vehicles are produced each year. Simple arithmetic therefore gives an idea of how much pure copper will be needed for the automotive industry alone, with production volumes expected to continue growing.

“There are also other sectors where copper is essential, including electrification, modern technologies and the infrastructure supporting them.”

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Armenia’s prime minister and the US vice-president signed a joint statement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and discussed new areas of strategic partnership.

Oil and gas not worth considering

“The geodynamic processes that took place over tens of millions of years in the territory where Armenia is now located have left virtually no prospect of large hydrocarbon reserves.

“A large number of deep wells were drilled in Voghjaberd for research purposes, and similar exploration was carried out in Armavir. Some traces were found, including small amounts of gas. These are remnants of deposits that once existed, as well as accumulations formed more recently, over the past 30 million years. Given the geology and location, these cannot be large volumes.

“There is little reason to expect oil and gas deposits to be discovered in Armenia in the future.

Small deposits could potentially be found at great depths. But even finding them would be extremely costly, as numerous wells would have to be drilled.

“Even then, it would not be clear whether the gas discovered would last a month, an hour or a year. In any case, the volumes would be so small that they are hardly worth considering.”

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Areas where rare elements could be found

“Demand for rare-earth elements and other minerals has risen sharply worldwide, along with their prices. They are in high demand in modern high-tech manufacturing.

“They attracted little interest in the past, but technologies have changed. We need to understand what resources we have.

We cannot say there is no chance of Armenia having rare-element reserves. There are geological areas in the country that could contain them.

“Further research is needed to establish this. Our institute has a dedicated group studying rare-earth elements, funded by a grant from the Science Committee. The research does not have an industrial or applied research component and is purely scientific, but the fact that it is being conducted is itself a positive development.

“The research covers potential mineralisation of lithium, selenium, tellurium and rhenium. Meanwhile, more than 20 other rare-earth elements have not previously been studied.

“Some have been identified incidentally during other research. As demand for them grows, we will have to explore them, whether we want to or not. If the state does not do so, the private sector will.”

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According to political analyst Narek Minasyan, bilateral relations are shifting towards a new model in which Armenia is viewed not as a recipient or beneficiary country, but as a partner.

Investment needed to explore new deposits

“Armenia is indeed very rich in mineral resources, both metallic and non-metallic. Kajaran, Sotk, Agarak and Teghut are all located within a relatively small area covering around 30-35% of the country. Moreover, Kajaran is among the world’s 10 largest mines by scale.

“The difficulties are related not to geology but to the terrain. In many cases, mines are located at altitudes of around 3,000 metres, in hard-to-reach areas, and deposits are often relatively small.

The chances of discovering new large deposits comparable in scale to Kajaran or Zod [Sotk] are very low. The chances of finding medium-sized and small deposits are higher.

“Exploration of new deposits will become possible if the state creates the necessary conditions for investment and also invests itself. At the very least, this would give us a clearer picture of the rare elements and critical minerals in Armenia’s subsoil. This would then be followed by detailed exploration and reserve estimates, an even more labour-intensive and costly process.”

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