Russia, which only on rare occasions manages to pretend it has tucked away its imperial ego for the sake of some short-term whim, is hardly capable of abandoning its expansionist reflexes. And certain talking heads make sure Russia’s neighbors never forget this defining trait of the Kremlin’s political class.
One such transmitter of the Russian elite’s narratives is Alexey Venediktov — a well-known Russian journalist and longtime editor-in-chief of the former radio station Echo of Moscow. During a recent trip to Yerevan, Venediktov gave several interviews in which he voiced an idea circulating inside Kremlin offices: the war in Karabakh is not over. In one of these interviews, he stated plainly that Russia “simply lacked the resources” to stop Azerbaijan from reclaiming Karabakh, and that as soon as Russia “frees up resources in Ukraine,” the Kremlin intends to revisit the issue.
He argued that the Armenian leadership is making a grave mistake by seeking peace with Azerbaijan, while the Moscow elite is “suffering” and waiting for a convenient moment — and the necessary resources — to somehow help Armenia, which, in his retelling, is anything but a foreign country to Russia. Speaking to an Armenian journalist, Venediktov also complained that Yerevan supposedly does not care enough about Armenians held in custody in Baku, mentioning Ruben Vardanyan and calling him a “Russian businessman,” despite Vardanyan having renounced his Russian citizenship. Venediktov insisted that even Donald Trump might help on this issue if Armenia’s leadership asked the American president strongly enough.
Anyone familiar with Venediktov and with Moscow’s not-so-new methods can clearly see what is happening: Russia is using its envoys to plant the idea among Armenians that the notion of “revenge” is still viable — and that Moscow will assist whenever it can. In other words, the Kremlin is signaling its readiness to disrupt the new regional reality and undermine the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“The war in Karabakh is not over, because it is in people’s heads,” Venediktov says — deliberately inserting this incendiary message into Armenian minds. Such destabilizing rhetoric from Kremlin propagandists appears regularly. And judging by current developments, Moscow seems to have become alarmed by real progress toward peace between Baku and Yerevan — progress achieved without Russia or anyone else.
Drawing parallels between the former Karabakh conflict and the situation in Transnistria, Venediktov tangled himself in contradictions. He argued that what matters most is that “no one is shooting” in Transnistria, while dismissively brushing aside the principle of territorial integrity as something not particularly important. Indeed, thanks to Russia’s actions, the world has long understood that Moscow does not recognize the basic foundations of international law upheld by the civilized international community — and Venediktov merely confirmed this yet again.
He also admitted that the post-imperial syndrome is present not only among the Russian elite, Putin, and his circle, but also among the majority of Russian citizens. “Only time can cure this,” he added confidently.
While claiming that the most important thing in any conflict is to stop the bloodshed, Venediktov — in the same interview — pushes the thesis that the war in Karabakh will resume as soon as Russia finds the necessary resources. The logic collapses: which is more important — imperial ambition or stopping the fighting?
Today, Baku and Yerevan are already one step away from signing a formal peace agreement. Civil society in both countries increasingly understands the need for peaceful coexistence — and at this moment a third neighbor openly incites war.
Since Venediktov casually refers to Dmitry Kozak, the deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration, by “Dima,” it is not hard to guess the nature of their relationship. And because Kozak oversaw Russia’s relations with Armenia before being replaced by Sergey Kiriyenko, Venediktov clearly did not come to Yerevan for sightseeing — but to deliver a message from the Kremlin.
According to Venediktov, only COVID-19 and Russia’s war in Ukraine prevented Moscow from stopping Azerbaijan from reclaiming Karabakh. As the saying goes, a bad dancer always knows what to blame — and for Russia, it is COVID and a “small” cross-border invasion of a neighboring state.
Another revealing element emerges when he discusses the war in Ukraine: Venediktov repeats a core Kremlin narrative — the same one voiced by Olga Skabeeva and Vladimir Solovyov — that Russia is allegedly not fighting Ukraine but the “collective West.” Thus, when a future settlement with Kyiv arrives — one that may not look as triumphant as Moscow would like — the Kremlin prepares its audience by reminding them how “difficult” it is for Russia to fight the entire Western system. This helps justify the heavy economic and social costs of the war to veterans and their families.
“The problem is not the loss of Karabakh, but the potential loss of Armenia for Russia — that is what truly hurts,” Venediktov says. He then asks listeners to notice Putin’s attitude toward Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: “He [Putin] does not like people who come to power from the street.” In other words, Venediktov openly admits the Kremlin’s contempt for democratic choice and for leaders elected by their citizens. “Pashinyan is an outsider, but Armenia is not,” he adds — indirectly reinforcing the idea that Azerbaijan is “the outsider.” A hint follows: it is a pity Russia lacks the resources — otherwise…
One is tempted to ask: otherwise what?
Venediktov openly admits that during the 44-day war in 2020, he asked his friends in the Kremlin and among Russian generals why nothing was being done about Karabakh, and the answer he received was: COVID, dear sir, and Ukraine… We are waiting…
He also found time to blame Armenia for the current peace process, reminding listeners that Yerevan recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity — which, in his view, complicated Moscow’s job.
And finally, complaining about the resource drain caused by the invasion of Ukraine, Venediktov sends a message to the Central Asian republics as well: Russia will “deal with them too” when the time comes. “Once resources appear, then we shall see,” the Kremlin’s mouthpiece threatens.
Alla Zeydullayeva
