Zhamanak: Stab in the back as Russia leaks Armenia’s military secrets

Russia, which is thought to be Armenia’s key strategic ally in the region, is practically betraying its commitments by selling weapons to Azerbaijan but also publishing the country’s military secrets, the paper says, citing a recent report by a Russian weekly specialized in military industries.

The article, entitled “Outpost on a Range of Issues …”, presented an overview of the military subdivisions based in Armenia, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, citing details about their location, the armament and the quantity of military equipment, says the paper.

The author, Alexander Khramchikhin (who is reported to be a military expert), presented his evaluation of Armenia’s military potential and possible role in a Russian-Turkish military confrontation. “Armenia would find itself on the frontline in case of a conflict between Russia and Turkey …,” reads the opening sentence, according to the paper.  

Whether credible or not, such a report is an extremely serious concern for Armenia, the paper says, describing the move as the continuation of the Russian policy to publish the armament list supplied to Armenia.

“It is for now difficult to fully reveal this new Russian policy trend, but evaluations are, of course, possible. Russia is facing problems in the technical-military cooperation with Azerbaijan, with the Azerbaijanis not affording the price of the weapons received. So it [Russia] is making its second attempt to blackmail the Azerbaijanis at the expense of Armenia,” writes the paper.

Commenting further on the report, the paper describes the move as a blatant attempt to incite a fresh tension in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict zone. “Russia, which has enough influence to oversee the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is not apparently content with the relative peace and other developments on the frontline over the recent period. So it has the power to increase the political and military tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This, naturally, does not in any way fall within the logic of the strategic alliance proclaimed between Armenia and Russia. The publication of the strategic ally’s military records and their factual submission to the rival (of their credibility) is really an unprecedented step,” the paper says, highlighting the need of an appropriate evaluation and conclusions by Armenia’s top leadership.
 

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