By Vesti.Az
When the usual arsenal—soft power, cultural diplomacy, and dramatic rhetoric—starts to lose traction, Moscow often reaches for a new player. This time, it’s Ara Abrahamyan, head of the Union of Armenians of Russia, who has stepped into the spotlight with an impassioned and uncharacteristically bold message aimed at Armenia’s domestic politics.
To be fair, this is far from Moscow’s first move on the Armenian chessboard in the past year.
From Archbishop Bagrat Srbazan’s high-profile tour of Armenia, to the emergence of “concerned Armenian businessmen from Moscow,” to the regular chorus about threats to “national identity,” to the laments about how bleak life is “without Russia,” and the thunderous warnings from Vladimir Solovyov and Margarita Simonyan—Russia has been testing every narrative. But with Armenians and Azerbaijanis increasingly acting on their own terms, the Kremlin appears to have decided it’s time for a new opening move. Enter Abrahamyan.
“Time to Step Down”: A Message for Pashinyan with a Moscow Return Address
It all began with Abrahamyan’s interview with RIA Novosti, in which he declared that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had failed to deliver on his promises and should “honestly admit defeat and step down”—or at the very least, not run in the 2026 elections. A direct political statement from a figure who lives entirely outside Armenian jurisdiction and is better known for his Russian business ventures than any domestic influence in Yerevan.
It’s hard not to see this as more than personal opinion. It fits neatly into the Kremlin’s longstanding playbook: use “concerned diaspora figures” to say what Moscow wants said, without speaking directly. “This isn’t us—just the voice of the Armenian public,” the logic goes.
The Church: A Sacred Tool of Geopolitics
The second line of attack is the Armenian Apostolic Church. Abrahamyan accuses Pashinyan of deliberately undermining the church’s role and damaging a foundational institution, despite “lacking even the moral authority” to do so. He frames Catholicos Karekin II as a near-sacred national figure and suggests that Pashinyan is “far from saintly” himself.
This narrative echoes familiar Russian rhetoric, where religious structures are routinely used as soft power levers. As Moscow’s influence in the South Caucasus declines, the Armenian Apostolic Church may be one of its last remaining instruments of pressure. Not because the Kremlin genuinely values the church—but because it can still serve a political purpose.
Diaspora: Concerned Citizen or Political Tool?
Even more telling is Abrahamyan’s claim that fear of speaking out in Armenia is “a sign of dictatorship,” and that people are afraid to criticize Pashinyan. The phrasing could have been lifted straight from a Cold War-era propaganda leaflet.
Add to that Abrahamyan’s announcement of an upcoming international online conference in defense of the church—a likely stage for a familiar cast of diaspora actors playing their assigned roles: offended, alarmed, and reliably pro-Russian.
Why Now?
Because time is not on Russia’s side. Armenia is slipping further out of Moscow’s orbit. Pashinyan is moving sharply toward the West. Azerbaijan is firmly entrenching its borders. Georgia is looking to Europe. And Turkey is increasingly asserting its voice in the region. In response, Russia is once again falling back on its old narrative: an angry diaspora pleading for the salvation of the homeland.
The problem? Armenia’s mood has shifted.
Pashinyan can be criticized—there are legitimate grievances—but doing so from a Moscow-based platform, through Kremlin-aligned media, isn’t about domestic public discourse. It’s about serving external interests.
Which is exactly what Abrahamyan appears to be doing.
