Armenia’s $1.5 bn shift to Indian and French arms has slashed Russia’s share of its weapons imports from 94 % to 10 %, underscoring supply gaps and eroding trust.
Armenia signed defence contracts worth more than US$1.5 billion with India between 2022 and 2023, according to a new report by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) that cites parliamentary disclosures in Yerevan.
During that period Armenia ordered Indian‑made Pinaka 214 mm multiple‑launch rocket systems, ATAGS 155 mm artillery, ZADS anti‑drone suites, Akash‑1S surface‑to‑air missiles, Konkurs anti‑tank systems (licenced from Russia), mortars and assorted munitions. The next delivery, India’s new‑generation Akash‑NG medium‑range air‑defence system, is expected shortly.
France has become Armenia’s other key supplier: from 2023 to 2024 Yerevan inked roughly US$250 million in deals for three GroundMaster‑200 radars, Mistral‑3 MANPADS and CAESAR self‑propelled howitzers.
Russia, by contrast, has not completed a US$400 million weapons contract signed in 2021. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) once put Russia’s share of Armenian arms imports at 94 percent (2011‑‑2020); by early 2024, Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan said that figure had fallen to just 10 percent. RIAC attributes the decline chiefly to supply constraints caused by the war in Ukraine.
Moscow’s standing in Armenian public opinion has also eroded. An International Republican Institute poll (December 2023) showed Russia ranking third—behind Azerbaijan and Turkey—among states perceived as “political threats,” a shift analysts trace to Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Nagorno‑Karabakh war and subsequent border clashes, during which Yerevan felt Russia’s response was muted. The Armenian government has since pursued a policy of diversifying its foreign ties, leaning toward the West: it signed a strategic partnership charter with Washington in January 2025 and, in February, parliament opened the process for EU accession.
Even so, Russia remains Armenia’s top trade partner. In 2024 bilateral trade hit US$12.4 billion (41 percent of Armenia’s total turnover), up from US$7.9 billion in 2023, driven largely by re‑exports of Western goods to Russia and Russian goods outward via Armenia. Russian FDI stock has doubled since 2022 to US$4 billion.
Analyst Artur Ataev says Yerevan’s long‑planned defence pivot toward India is meant to cut political dependence on Moscow; Paris plays a complementary role. Yet Armenia has no desire to sever military ties with Russia outright—those links, he notes, still matter more to Yerevan than to Moscow.
Stanislav Pritchin of IMEMO RAS adds that Indian and French systems cannot fully replace Armenia’s predominantly Russian‑made arsenal, which needs Russian maintenance and spares, while the Russian base in Gyumri keeps defence standards aligned with the CSTO. He believes Russia’s market share will rebound over time.
For now, Armenia profits as a trans‑shipment hub for Russian trade, but Pritchin warns this advantage could fade if sanctions lift or loopholes close, returning commerce to pre‑2020 levels.
In a significant step toward regional water cooperation, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have signed a protocol for the shared operation of the Bahri Tochik Water Reservoir from June to August 2025, during the region’s critical vegetation and irrigation period.
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, has been selected to host the 2026 edition of the Games of the Future, an innovative international phygital sports tournament blending traditional athletic competition with digital gaming.
Two months after the reopening of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the revival of traditional frontier trade remains sluggish, as mutual suspicion and long-standing grievances continue to cast a shadow over efforts to restore normal relations.
For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.
Meta announced it has removed 60 coordinated accounts linked to Iran that targeted Azeri-speaking audiences in Azerbaijan and Türkiye across multiple platforms.
In a significant step toward regional water cooperation, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have signed a protocol for the shared operation of the Bahri Tochik Water Reservoir from June to August 2025, during the region’s critical vegetation and irrigation period.
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, has been selected to host the 2026 edition of the Games of the Future, an innovative international phygital sports tournament blending traditional athletic competition with digital gaming.
Two months after the reopening of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the revival of traditional frontier trade remains sluggish, as mutual suspicion and long-standing grievances continue to cast a shadow over efforts to restore normal relations.
For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.
President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, according to a statement from the White House.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
Taxi drivers across France are protesting government plans to cut payments for driving patients to medical appointments. These cuts are part of a broader effort by Prime Minister François Bayrou to save €40 billion in the 2026 budget and reduce the country’s large deficit.
Brazil’s economy is expected to have regained momentum in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in household spending and private investment, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted from May 21–26.
As peace talks progress, voices from Yerevan, Tbilisi, and Baku reveal hopes, concerns, and expectations for a future shaped by trade, trust, and generational change in the South Caucasus.
In a major blow to one of President Donald Trump’s key economic policies, a US federal court has blocked the administration’s sweeping global tariff regime, ruling that the White House overstepped its constitutional authority.
China has launched a new phase of combat readiness patrols around Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) in the South China Sea, escalating tensions in one of the world’s most contested maritime zones.
President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, according to a statement from the White House.
The Baku Initiative Group (BIG) has issued a strong call for international efforts to combat ongoing forms of colonialism, stressing that colonial structures and ideologies persist in various political, economic, and institutional forms around the world.
Liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung is on track to win South Korea’s snap presidential election, according to a joint exit poll released Tuesday, just two months after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted over his brief imposition of martial law.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday in a bid to ease tensions over Ukraine, U.S. ties, and EU trade strategies, amid growing disagreements between the two leaders.
In a significant step toward regional water cooperation, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have signed a protocol for the shared operation of the Bahri Tochik Water Reservoir from June to August 2025, during the region’s critical vegetation and irrigation period.
Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, has been selected to host the 2026 edition of the Games of the Future, an innovative international phygital sports tournament blending traditional athletic competition with digital gaming.
Two months after the reopening of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the revival of traditional frontier trade remains sluggish, as mutual suspicion and long-standing grievances continue to cast a shadow over efforts to restore normal relations.
For the second phase of development of the Absheron gas field located in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, one of the key innovations will be the introduction of the world’s first automated underwater system for launching cleaning devices (PIGs) to remove possible deposits in pipelines.
President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, according to a statement from the White House.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment