Armenian-Russian relations are not experiencing their best times. While in Russia they started talking about Armenia’s “political divorce” from the EAEU, the authorities of Armenia advance the thesis that they do not have an agenda to leave the EAEU at the moment.

In fact, the authorities do not have an agenda to leave the EAEU, but at this moment, even in the case of the greatest desire, they cannot have such an agenda, because it would be suicide for Armenia. Armenia is not at all ready to leave the EAEU. Firstly, that they are not waiting for him anywhere else, and secondly, they have not created alternative opportunities to at least somewhat compensate for the losses of leaving the EAEU. That’s why at the moment they prefer to stay in EAEU, from which Armenia receives economic benefits, although the political orientations of the government are clearly going in a different direction.

At this moment, the desire of the Armenian authorities to stay in the EAEU is completely natural. Other than that, with such political orientations, how willing are they to tolerate the presence of Armenia there?

Naturally, many people will not like what they are doing. Therefore, they may not even wait for the decision of the Armenian authorities and act on their own initiative. Although the Armenian authorities hope that EAEU regulations allow them to block that process.

“We are a full member of the EAEU with the rights and responsibilities arising from it, and perhaps such a conversation does not exist on our agenda. All decisions in EAEU are by consensus… If such a question is on our agenda, Armenia will decide how to vote. But if Armenia doesn’t vote, have you thought about what will happen in that case…” says Alen Simonyan, without opening the brackets, but indirectly threatening to paralyze the EAEU works.

Legally, there may be such an opportunity, but in practice, what will Armenia gain from it? There will always be ways to get out of such emergency situations. But even if they are not found, it is enough to apply some restrictions so that Armenia’s economy is deprived of the opportunities provided by EAEU. We have witnessed such situations many times with their severe consequences. In the case of undesirable developments, these consequences can be much more painful, taking into account how comprehensive the connections of the Armenian economy with the Russian market are. In recent years, almost nothing has been done to mitigate the effects of these ties, except for talking about the diversification of the economy and exports. The same is happening today.

From the outside, they create the impression that the geography of Armenia’s exports is moving from the EAEU, particularly from Russia, to the EU markets. But that is far from reality. It is true that exports to Russia continued to decrease this year, but the main reason for the decrease is that re-exports to the Russian market via Armenia decreased. It is known that almost half of exports in recent years were re-exports, which are gradually decreasing.

After the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, they will be reduced to a minimum. But this does not mean that after that the Russian market will lose its significance for the Armenian economy. In terms of the export of Armenian goods, the role of that market has increased even more in recent years. And the fact that, unlike the Russian market, there is a sharp increase in exports to the EU at the beginning of the year, it does not mean that Armenian products are transferred from the Russian market to the European markets.

The EU export increased mainly due to the export of one type of product. You probably understood what type of product we are talking about. The type of product, the export of which has never had problems in terms of export markets.

We are talking about raw materials, at the expense of which the growth of EU exports took place.

In the first quarter of this year, exports from Armenia increased by 4.5 percent. According to official data, last year it was 1 billion 683 million dollars, this year it was 1 billion 760 million dollars. This growth occurred exclusively at the expense of the export of mineral products.

Almost twice as many mineral products were exported from Armenia than last year. In monetary terms, it was 434 million dollars.

Compared to the previous year, the export of raw materials increased by 213 million dollars. Of course, it was affected by both the increase in export volume and the price increase. But that is what has become the only reason for the growth of exports. All other sectors of the economy together have not increased the export potential at all, which gives cause for serious thought.

The export of raw materials alone increased by 213 million dollars, and the total export by 77 million. This means that the total export of all other goods has decreased. And it is only the doubling of the export of mineral raw materials that has led to an increase in the volume of exports, including exports to EU countries.

Half of those 213 million dollars more exports of raw materials went to the EU. But this does not mean at all that a real diversification of exports has taken place, or that the products of Armenian production have moved from the Russian and EAEU markets to the EU markets. As in the past, Russia has been and continues to be the main market for the export of Armenian products, especially agricultural and processed products. Under these conditions, losing that market, even partially, will break the back of both agriculture and the economy in general, regardless of whether the separation from the EAEU will be in the form of a civilized or uncivilized divorce.

First of all, the “proud” citizen of Armenia, whose incomes are barely enough to cover their own needs, will suffer from this. Tomorrow, if it turns out that the geopolitical contradictions are transferred to the economy, and we lose not only one of the main markets for the export of Armenian products, but also lose preferential imports of a number of primary products, the ordinary “proud” citizen and the socially insecure class of society will bear the burden.

HAKOB KOCHARYAN

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Chairman of “Prosperous Armenia” party Gagik Tsarukyan writes. “With the active mediation of Pakistan, the establishment of peace between our friend, neighbor Iran and our good partner USA seems to be possible. This is extremely important for Armenia.

When I mention the name of Pakistan, among other countries, in the context of guaranteed peace, the authorities start insulting me.

French President Macron, after a long pause, called Lukashenko yesterday to discuss the improvement of relations and other important issues. When I say that it is possible and necessary to work with Belarus, and Armenia can receive serious benefits in many issues, the authorities call me “oligarch, Belarusian spy”.

When I say that we should have normal, respectful working relations with the Russian political forces and all influential circles in order to solve the issues of our country and avoid senseless, harmful enmity, I am labeled as pro-Russian.

Today, the whole world, starting with the USA, wants to regulate relations with Russia in order to ensure their security and the well-being of their own peoples. We are facing an economic war with Russia, the consequences of which will be indescribably heavy for us. And our people will suffer the biggest losses – simple, living, creative people with righteous sweat.

Finally, what do you want from this country, this people? After causing so much war and loss, what more damage do you want to cause? What do you want to bring to our country with your ideas about the world? What other dangers are you willing to expose our people to for your petty political gain?”

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For the development of relations between Russia and Armenia, a constructive leadership in Yerevan is needed. The choice of the path is up to the people of Armenia. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said in a conversation with RIA Novosti.

Medvedev stated that the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, has chosen the path of severing relations with Russia, which will harm the entire Armenian nation and the country’s economy.

“We are ready to continue developing effective, mutually beneficial cooperation and equal cooperation with Armenia and its people. But in order for this to happen, our ally must have a constructive leadership that is ready to be friends with Russia,” said the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia.

According to him, as a result of Pashinyan’s dangerous path, the people of Armenia will lose the Russian market and the entire Eurasian Economic Union.

“It seems that he considers us fools. At the same time, he made a big mistake in his calculations and is following a path that is extremely dangerous for his country,” Medvedev said.

He reminded that Pashinyan’s policy may lead to Yerevan having to buy Russian gas at European prices, which are three times more expensive than the current price. The vice president of the Security Council suggested to the Prime Minister of Armenia to ask the citizens if they are ready for such a price.

“Armenia is historically a very close country for us, our strategic partner. I emphasize: the fraternal people of Armenia, not any Armenian leader,” he said, answering the question whether Russia has changed its attitude towards Armenia as a partner.

Medvedev added that during his first conversation with Pashinyan, he raised the topic of special relations between Russia and the Armenian people.

“When we first met, he said: “You will never accept me. I am a stranger to you,” Medvedev recalled.

The vice-chairman of the Security Council added that at that moment he assured the head of the Armenian government that “there are no friends or enemies” for Moscow. At that time, Medvedev reminded Pashinyan that “more Armenians live in Russia than in Armenia itself.”

At the same time, the vice president of the Security Council noted that the conversation did not have any impact on the Prime Minister of Armenia. “He did not pay attention to these words and did not appreciate the many examples of brotherly help and support from Russia.”

Moreover, Medvedev emphasized that Pashinyan is not a “guarantor of peace” for Armenia, but simply “a scoundrel who has been elevated to power for some time.”

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Kaj Nazar is elected king by the people, he does not become king himself. Ruben Vardanyan announced from Baku prison during a telephone conversation with his family

May 25 is Ruben Vardanyan’s birthday. This is already the third birthday that he spends under illegal detention in Baku.

On his birthday, he addressed the Armenian people in Armenian.

In the statement, Ruben Vardanyan also refers to the military parade scheduled for May 28. He considers that holding a military parade in today’s situation is immoral, because Armenian soldiers and officers are in Azeri prisons, do not have normal contact with their relatives, do not feel in any way that there is a state behind them.

At the end of the statement, Ruben Vardanyan talks about serving and mentions the concept of “Dasa” (Sanskrit: dāsa): “servant”, “faithful”, “a person who has dedicated himself to service”. This is the name of one of the spiritual characters of the main character in Hermann Hesse’s book “The Game of Spinners”, which passes from illusion to service.

The transcript of the statement is presented below.

“Dear compatriots,

Although it is difficult for me, I want to send a message in Armenian, because I consider it very important. I want to convey 5 thoughts to you from here, hoping that you will understand me correctly.

First of all, I want to remind again that Kaj Nazar is elected king by the people, he does not become king. I want to remind everyone so that we don’t forget about this.

Secondly, dear Kaj Nazar Nikol, you were not lucky three times. First, I have loved to read since I was a child, and Erich Maria Remarque was one of my favorite writers when I was young. Secondly, while I was alone in the detention cell for 800 days, I read a lot of books and tried to preserve my Armenian, and I tried to find books by Armenian writers in the library. Unfortunately, there were only two books in Armenian in the library: one by {Vardges} Petrosyan, the other by Dzerzh. It was very surprising for me, I did not know that you are such a famous writer. And after reading your book, I became convinced that you not only have serious problems in terms of your moral behavior, education, and other problems, that you are a liar, an inventor, etc., you are also a plagiarist. And let me tell you that it surprised me a lot because, being a journalist, you know that theft, {intellectual} property, books cannot be stolen, but you did it very calmly, and not from one, but from several writers. And your shortcomings, of course, your mistakes, your behavior makes me very sad. And I am sadly afraid that what you are doing is a great punishment for you, and you know, in India, when a person dies, they believe that he is reborn into other people or animals, and the greatest punishment is that after committing many sins, the dead person is reborn into an earthworm and lives as an earthworm for 84,000 years. I am afraid that this punishment awaits you, I hope that there is still time for it not to happen, but I have doubts that it is already too late.

Thirdly, I want to say that we all must understand that there is a big challenge before us. this is not a question of elections, this is a question that the war is not over, the war continues, and the war continues not militarily, but in other ways. And now, when they are trying to fight us in Russia and the European Union, the most dangerous thing is that in the end we will fall under the power of the third power, and that third power is sitting and waiting to see how we will become dependent on it, economically, materially, informationally, technologically, and with everything. And if someone doesn’t understand that, I want to say that we all must understand that if we do nothing, it will happen very quickly, and this is a very big danger, that if we don’t change our behavior, neither Russia nor the European Union awaits us, we become a province of Turkey.

Fourth, they are discussing here that a military parade is being prepared on May 28. It seems to me that it is unbecoming, when at the same time soldiers and officers are prisoners and are in the prison of Azerbaijan. I want to remind you again that the army is not built by parades, money and weapons or ranks, but most importantly by spirit, moral and patriotic spirit, and I call on everyone who is truly Armenian-loving not to participate in that parade, because it is immoral in this situation, when our officers and soldiers are here, you should do a parade. It doesn’t leave me alone, because I consider it immoral that our boys have been here for 6 years, they don’t have the opportunity to receive photos, letters, clothes from their relatives. Another issue is that it is not organized by Armenia in any way, the commander-in-chief, who was defeated, does nothing to make those people at least feel that the state stands behind them.

Fifth, remember that the greatest danger is indifference, indifference is more dangerous than all other defects. The opposite of love is not hatred, it is indifference, the opposite of goodness is not evil, it is indifference, the opposite of faith is not rejection of God, it is indifference, and the opposite of life is not death, it is indifference. And in order for us to have our state, to be proud of being a citizen of that state, no one owes us anything, we must not be indifferent, and we must do everything to preserve our state, we must all understand in our place that no one, one person alone can change the situation, we all must do everything together to preserve our country, so that we have an independent state. And finally, I want to say that it is happiness for me to volunteer and be grateful to God, to love everyone and everything, and to overcome temptations, to learn every second until the last breath of my life, and to give all that I know, that I can do to the world, repaying my endless debt to God for my happiness. And I am happy that I can do all that until the last breath of my life.

I am a humble servant of God, “dasa” Ruben (दास-दास (dāsa), son of Karlen and Irina, a Russian-minded Armenian, a member of the Association of Interpreters of Meanings, a person who is happy that there is an opportunity for him to dedicate his life to his homeland and the world, to serve everyone with love and faith. And I want all of us to understand that our future is in our hands, not in someone else’s hands, and I am sure that we can do anything.

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Responding to Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement about the nationalization of Araratcement factory owned by him, PAP leader Gagik Tsarukyan said that he will not be intimidated by it.

“They told me: ‘Mr. Tsarukyan, you are starting to criticize rightly, you don’t find your place, they will damage your property, they have already received an assignment. I said that I cannot change my homeland with my property, that is, today the factory that was privatized 20 years ago says that I will take it from Tsarukyan and give it to the people. it’s the people, they work, we pay the taxes, what we took, one more thing they developed stone by stone. They want to scare Tsarukyan with that. On the contrary, I will say what I have,” said Tsarukyan, campaigner in Syunik.

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Artak Zakaryan writes on his Facebook page. “Go to the election without hesitation. It is up to you to have a state or not.

2018 In the extraordinary elections of December 9, “My step” bloc received about 885,000 votes. It was 34% of citizens with voting rights. Around 52% of voters did not participate in the election.

2021 In the extraordinary elections of June 20, the CP led by Pashinyan received about 688,000 votes or 27% of citizens with electoral rights. About 50% of voters did not participate in the election.

Most likely, in the elections of June 7, 2026, in 2021 in comparison, CP will get significantly less votes. And for his complete defeat and immediate dismissal, the active participation of all voters is important.

If the turnout was high in 2018 and 2021, the CP would have received low percentages and would not have had the opportunity to conspire to hand over Artsakh and put Armenia in serious danger.

Dear citizen with the right to vote,

Consider that each of you will make a fateful decision. Not going to the elections is also a decision, but to the detriment of Armenia. You don’t have to blame the KP voters or the rulers who are destroying the country, if you won’t go to the polls yourself.

You just have to go and vote against the reintroduction of the incumbents.”

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It became known in mid-May՝ Իրանը վերահսկողության տակ է վերցնում part of the worldwide internetthreatening to destroy it otherwise. Tehran could damage the underwater cables that carry the Internet between Europe and Asiathe traffic, if other states refuse to pay for their use planned fees: CNN reports՝ Iranian authorities have also announced that they are planning to charge fees for the use of underwater Internet cables that pass through the Strait of Hormuz between Europe, Asia and the Persian Gulf.

The Iranians intend to demand payments from the largest IT companies on the planet, which work through these cables. Google, Microsoft, Amazon and other tech giants could fall under the demands։ In relation to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Iranian media have already hinted transparently that if they do not pay, the traffic may be disrupted.

The cables are laid across the bottom of the Strait of Hormuz, part of which is controlled by Tehran. CNN notes՝ their even partial damage can affect banking operations, exchanges, cloud services and artificial intelligence infrastructure across the planet, causing major disruptions to the global web, from online services, banks and exchanges to streaming platforms.

So, in fact, after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is going to take control of the cables already laid under that waterway. In addition, a license fee will be set for laying new communication lines, and only Iranian companies will be able to deal with their maintenance. “We will charge a fee for Internet cables,” reports in the media confirmed Ibrahim Zolfaghari, a representative of the Iranian army.

Iranians and their affiliated structures have already participated in damaging cables in the region. For example, in the spring of 2024, the Sheba Intelligence analytical platform with reference to classified documents reported՝ The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Unit 313 and the Ansar Allah cyber unit of the Yemeni Houthi organization carried out two special operations (in February and March 2024) targeting submarine cables passing through the Red Sea. According to Sky News, this affected 25% of traffic across the Red Sea, on lines carrying data to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Four of the 15 submarine cables were seriously damaged (including Asia-Africa-Europe 1, Europe-India Gateway, Seacom and TGN-Gulf, according to Hong Kong-based HGC Global Communications).

Today, due to the aggression carried out by Epstein’s coalition against Iran, a similar Internet strike can turn from regional to global. Underwater as of the early 2020s there was more than 530 operating and running Internet cables with a total length of more than one million kilometers. The main highways run between the east coast of North America and European countries. Cables from Europe go to African, Middle Eastern countries and India. And from the west coast of North America, the cables stretch to Japan, Southeast Asian countries and Australia.

Individual cables vary greatly in length. For example, the Circe South cable stretching from Great Britain to France is only 115 km long, while the Pacific Crossing-1 cable connecting the USA and Japan is up to 21,000 km long. In general, the length of the cable depends on the distance required for the connection. Many countries and companies go beyond a single cable and, if necessary, install additional cables (usually at considerable distances from each other). If one cable fails, the signal is rerouted through the backup cables.

Today, submarine cables make the world what it is. However, their vulnerability stems from their very structure and installation problems, or rather, from the lack of cable vessels. All these cables are very thin. In addition, they can have different structures, components, as well as materials from which they are made. Cutting or damaging the cable is quite easy. the diameter of a part of the structure lowered into the depth is only up to 6 centimeters.

In the spring of 2025, China introduced to the world a special compact deep-sea device designed to cut cables, which can damage even the world’s most protected underwater communication and power lines.: This tool is capable of cutting lines at depths of up to 4,000 meters, which is double the maximum operating range of existing underwater communications infrastructure, and is specially designed to integrate with China’s advanced manned and unmanned underwater vehicles such as Fendouzhe (Striver) and Haidou.

It was developed by the state by CSSRC Institute. Officially, it was intended for rescue operations and resource extraction, but experts quickly remembered the underwater Internet cables connecting continents, for example, between the United States and Asia. Or near Guam, where one of the busiest routes passes: The device is already being integrated with submarines like the Fengdou Zhe and the Haido series of drones. In other words, technically these devices can now be used to shut down the internet for an entire region at any time.

Currently, depending on the route, cables can be laid up to 8 kilometers deep, twice as deep as the cables normally used by the equipment described above. However, not everyone can work that deep, and such depths are not always possible. Considerable preparations are made before the actual installation. A thorough study of the route is needed to ensure it is safe and cost-effective.

The laying of the cables is carried out by special cable-carrying vessels, which are made to special order. They have a remarkable feature. on the decks and in the hold they have one or more huge drums (anvils) on which the cable is loaded. Depending on the type of ship, it can accommodate up to several thousand kilometers of cable. The cable is released by means of a special system of cable machines working with an electric cable, which resembles a winch (hoist). At the same time, there are only a little more than 60 cable-laying vessels in the world, and the work schedule of each of them is planned several years in advance.

Another problem with submarine cables is that international infrastructure law is underdeveloped and somewhat outdated. Both the US and China have tried to fill the gaps with their own regulations. However, the efforts of both were not enough. Although for different reasons.

American legislation is very old. The most recent piece of US legislation dealing with submarine cables is the Submarine Cable Act of 1888. Cable damage entails a $5,000 fine and up to 2 years in prison. By comparison, negligence in dropping anchor or using fishing nets carries a mere $500 fine and three months in jail. These are extremely weak deterrents for operations with recovery costs of up to $3 million.

China, for its part, insists that the delineation of cable laying routes on the continental shelf is under the jurisdiction of the state that owns it. In practice, this involves notifying the state’s maritime administration and obtaining written permission from the country’s navy, which sometimes results in rerouting. Only then can the operator request permission to bring the cable out into the state. After that, he must constantly and fully inform the authorities about his activities.

All this greatly contributes to the plans of the Iranian authorities to take under their control a part of the global Internet passing under the Strait of Hormuz.

Oleg Sarov

fondsk.ru

Translation by Zhanna Avetisyan

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s official visit to Yerevan scheduled for tomorrow is outside the scope of the usual diplomatic protocol and has a pronounced domestic political tone.

On the eve of the decisive parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia on June 7, the appearance of a high-ranking Washington official in the Armenian capital is a direct signal that the United States is trying to influence internal political processes with its political weight and, based on its own interests, to keep the power in Armenia under control. Although the main agenda will probably revolve around the TRIPP project. Visits of this level during the hot pre-election campaign document the desire of foreign forces to guide Armenia’s sovereign election, which Washington uses to make Yerevan’s geopolitical orbit irreversible.

This is not new, but a continuation of the consistent strategy implemented by the American side. back in February of the current year, the visit of the US Vice President JD Vance to Yerevan laid the foundations for this trend. At that time, Vance, speaking about regional projects and the June 7 elections, made an unprecedentedly direct and directional statement for Western diplomacy, stating:

“The question is how to make the peace deal successfully move to the next stage, how to make the prime minister be able to focus on the future.

I know the election is coming up, I don’t want to talk about it, but if my support means anything, he certainly has it. He is a person who can build a long-term partnership to make such projects come to fruition.”

Such a position of the American side clearly shows that the White House considers Pashinyan’s re-election not a free expression of the will of the Armenian people, but a necessary prerequisite for the success of its own strategic and transit programs in the region.

In addition to the American vector, in the past weeks, Yerevan has also turned into a center of European diplomatic activity, which also confirms the foreign bet placed on the current government. With the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit held in Armenia at the beginning of May and the inaugural RA-EU bilateral summit with the participation of European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Brussels tried to strengthen Pashinyan’s position in the domestic political and electoral processes. These measures served as political support for the current administration during the pre-election period, where Europe’s promises of economic and energy “aid” are actually intended to accelerate Armenia’s disengagement from Russia, without considering its dire economic consequences.

Along with such active participation of the West, extremely worrying and unprecedented degradation trends are being recorded in Armenian-Russian relations. Moscow no longer hides its strong opposition to Yerevan’s foreign policy turn and Western orientation, which is manifested in tough rhetoric at the highest level. The last statement of the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, where he calls Pashinyan a “scoundrel”, condenses the Kremlin’s response to the developments. Medvedev noted that “as a result of Pashinyan’s dangerous path, the people of Armenia will lose the Russian market and the entire Eurasian Economic Union.”

“It seems that he considers us fools. At the same time, he made a big mistake in his calculations and is pursuing a path that is extremely dangerous for his country,” Medvedev said.

This wording shows that Russia views official Yerevan’s steps as a treacherous turn and is ready to use its own countermeasures to abort Western projects. The current Armenian pre-election campaign has turned into a process accompanied by active, undisguised interference and geopolitical influence. Armenia has appeared in the center of a classic “proxy-political” struggle, where internal elections lose their sovereign content and serve as a platform for global conflicts between the West and Russia. On the one hand, the USA and the EU, through high-ranking visits and political pressure, are trying to support the re-election of Pashinyan’s regime at all costs, on the other hand, Russia, with tough rhetoric and the use of economic and political leverage, shows that it will not allow the country’s final transition to the opposite camp.

In the light of all this, it can be expected that by June 7, the attempts of external influence will reach their peak, where the voter is offered the dilemma “West or Russia”, undermining internal stability, while the Armenian voter must choose a political force, taking into account many other realities.

The June 7 elections for Armenia cease to be a mere internal political event, turning into a decisive conflict of global forces over the country’s geopolitical vector. While the West is trying to strengthen the positions of the current administration with high-level visits and economic promises, and Russia is trying to prevent the loss of influence with harsh warnings and leveraging, the only guarantee of future stability is to make choices based on one’s own sovereign interests and free from external coercion.

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