Although 12 days have passed since the June 7 elections in the Republic of Armenia, the highest authorities of the Russian Federation are in no hurry to congratulate Nikol Pashinyan on the results recorded in the elections. This prolonged silence is an unprecedented impulse in Armenian-Russian relations, which indicates that there are no stabilization tendencies in the current crisis in bilateral relations.

Moreover, instead of congratulations, the Russian Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to the Armenian authorities regarding the act of vandalism committed against the “Mother Armenia” memorial dedicated to the heroes of the Second World War in Gyumri. Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced this yesterday.

On June 10, unknown persons tore the gilded letters with the names of hero-cities from the monument.

The Russian side described the incident as a “deliberate attack on the common historical memory” and demanded the Armenian authorities to give a clear assessment of the incident, as well as to hold the culprits accountable. The law enforcement officers arrested the suspect the other day.

Returning to the topic of elections, we should note that the top leadership of the Russian Federation, as a rule, is guided by well-developed traditions that directly express the level and warmth of political relations with the given country. In the case of states with high ally or strategic status for Moscow, congratulations are usually given immediately, the day after the election, when preliminary official data from the Central Electoral Commissions are published.

However, in cases where there is tension in bilateral relations, the congratulation process is postponed. In such situations, the Kremlin often adopts a “wait-and-see” stance, delaying an official announcement until the final, legal results of the elections are finalized, appeals rounds are over, or even the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected government, which is seen as a clear diplomatic gesture of cooling or revising relations. On June 12, at the reception organized at the Russian Embassy in Armenia, who recently left for Russia for consultations and has already returned Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin He referred to the current stage of Armenian-Russian relations. In his speech, the ambassador noted that Moscow is ready to redefine relations with Armenia in the conditions of newly formed realities, and is ready to do so in a constructive spirit.

“It is obvious that our relations have reached the stage of reinterpretation and adaptation to the changing global and regional realities. “Moscow is fully ready for such joint work in a constructive and mutually beneficial manner, based on the existing bilateral mechanisms,” the ambassador said.

At the same time, high-ranking Russian officials are raising the question of EAEU-EU election before RA.

By rethinking, Ambassador Kopirkin probably means this question. However, the RA authorities still consider the topic of such an election to be out of date, moreover, Nikol Pashinyan is going to deal with EAEU issues in the near future.

“There is a session of the EAEU intergovernmental commission scheduled, I will participate in this session, as I said, we will deal with it, but we are still dealing with it today,” he said in a conversation with journalists the day before, talking about the current tension in the structure related to RA. By the way, he mentioned at the session of the RA government that it is illogical to export low-quality goods at the expense of sovereignty. It should be noted that the upcoming session of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (EAEU Intergovernmental Commission) will take place on August 6-7, 2026, in the city of Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic. In other words, the authorities tend to settle the product restrictions or political issues with the Russian side.

Obviously, Moscow is consciously maintaining a political hiatus, trying to put pressure on the authorities along with economic restrictions with a belated congratulation.

Against this background, the main intrigue remains the lack of Russian congratulations to the KP. The Russian side is most likely waiting for the completion of all legal processes related to the elections, including in the CC, after which there may be a congratulation, which, however, may require a few more weeks. It is unlikely that there will be no congratulations from Moscow at any stage, but the Russian side will do it at the stage in order to show as sharp a political position as possible. Against this background, another interesting question is what will be the fate of the post-election meeting between Pashinyan and Putin, the preliminary agreement of which was reached on June 1. Pashinyan-Putin in a telephone conversation. However, the Russian invitation, along with the congratulations, was never received.

At the same time, Moscow is most likely not interested in a sharp escalation of Armenian-Russian relations. This is evidenced by the statement of Ambassador Kopirkin. For that reason, the current silence can be evaluated not as a prelude to the break of relations, but as a tool of political pressure and transmission of impulses, through which the Kremlin tries to clarify the future geopolitical intentions of Yerevan. The upcoming weeks, as well as the meetings scheduled within the framework of the EAEU, will perhaps be of decisive importance for the future architecture of Armenian-Russian relations.

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