Russia hit back at Pashinyan, with an unnamed “diplomatic source” in Moscow calling Pashinyan’s comments “unacceptable.”

“In fact, they are trying to artificially squeeze Russia out of the South Caucasus, using Yerevan as a means of achieving this goal,” the source told the official TASS news agency. ”As Armenia’s closest neighbor and friend, Russia does not intend to leave the region. However, this should be a two-way street. Armenia should also not become a weapon for the West to squeeze out Russia.”

Pashinyan also slammed the Russian peacekeeping forces for their failure to reopen the Lachin corridor, Nagorno-Karabakh’s only land link with Armenia, blocked by Azerbaijan last December. The blockade, he said, means the peacekeepers are “not fulfilling their mission” defined by the Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the 2020 war in Karabakh.

The Russian source cited by TASS rejected Pashinyan’s “baseless attacks” on the peacekeepers. He said that the Armenian premier’s controversial recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh “made the work of the Russian peacekeeping contingent as difficult as possible.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, likewise charged on August 30 that Pashinyan’s far-reaching concession to Baku paved the way for the Azerbaijani blockade and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Karabakh. Her Armenian opposite number dismissed the claim and cited a long list of Armenian grievances against Moscow.

The rift between Moscow and Yerevan has deepened over the past year, fueling speculation about a pro-Western shift in Armenia’s traditional geopolitical orientation. Some of Pashinyan’s political allies and Western-funded civic groups have welcomed such a prospect. By contrast, Armenia’s main opposition groups are seriously concerned about it, arguing that the West is not ready to give Armenia security guarantees or significant military aid.