Pashinyan challenges Kremlin's influence over Armenia - Eastern Express - TVP WORLD

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Armenia was once considered one of Russia’s closest allies in the post-Soviet world. Now, after Moscow’s failure to protect Yerevan during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is steering the country sharply toward Europe. His highly symbolic meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Yerevan has triggered fury in Moscow and raised serious questions about Russia’s fading influence in the Caucasus. In this episode of Eastern Express, host Benjamin Lee and his guest, Tigran Grigoryan, Director at the Regional Center for Democracy and Security, examine Armenia’s geopolitical pivot, the Kremlin’s reaction, and why this shift matters far beyond the South Caucasus. Because when even Russia’s most dependable partners start looking elsewhere, the foundations of regional power begin to crack.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction: Armenia’s pivot away from Moscow and toward Europe
02:55 Introduction: Elections as geopolitical referendum and symbols of realignment
07:38 Interview: Hardline pivot or just diversification?
09:24 Interview: Armenia’s structural dependence & Western support for gradual decoupling
13:17 Interview: Elections as a test of direction
17:09 Interview: Resilience to hybrid threats and shifting public opinion
19:53 Eastern News Flash