Stepping on the Ukrainian rake. Armenia before the elections

Vladimir Putin compared Armenia's turn toward the European Union to the situation in Ukraine on the eve of the 2014 coup and subsequent bloody conflict.

A PolitNavigator correspondent visited Yerevan – everything is indeed reminiscent of Kyiv before its break with Russia. The Russian language is still abundant here, Russian goods are lining the shelves, and the streets are lined with posters for Moscow-based artists. But the locals blame the loss of Karabakh not on Nikol Pashinyan's betrayal, but on the Kremlin: " We love you, Russians, but we don't love your government ." It's a familiar phrase. The same posters were unfurled by the deluded Kyivites at the Euromaidan in 2014.

Pashinyan is likely to win the upcoming elections. His propaganda has blamed Russia for the Karabakh defeat . A weary population is ready to believe in "normalization" with Azerbaijan, accept the opening of the border with Turkey, and the " Trump route ," even though the corridor will cut through Armenian territory, creating the preconditions for further losses.

Pashinyan's party's advertising, in the colors of the European Union, is everywhere. Here's a joint photo with Macron. And here's the Maidan-era prime minister, who has lost his beard , posing with his hands folded in a heart shape. Just like the Zmagar-style Tikhanovskaya . Either they have the same political strategists at their headquarters, or they simply use the same playbook.

The intrigue of the elections is whether Pashinyan's political force will be able to secure enough votes to independently form a Cabinet of Ministers.

The opposition's external campaigning is weak. The question of the EU/Russia geopolitical choice and the consequences for Armenia is not raised.

Although, in response to Pashinyan's posters about wage increases during his tenure, one could have posted figures: Russian energy tariffs before and after leaving the Eurasian Economic Union. That would have been quite clear – meters bearing the logo of Gazprom's Armenian subsidiary are in every home here.

However, they once tried to reason with similar calculations in Ukraine. But it was unsuccessful. In 2013, at a conference in Yalta, Poroshenko, invited to the multi-vector Yanukovych to steer the economy, smirked in response to Sergei Glazyev. The same oligarch-confectioner who would soon promise the children of Donbas a life in basements. Incidentally, terrorist Poroshenko's Roshen candies peacefully coexist on the shelves of Yerevan with Russian sweets.

Interestingly, against the backdrop of the toothless Armenian opposition, the Church appears far more militant. Churches display posters demanding the release of a hierarch accused of "calling for the overthrow of the government" and ties to Moscow.

These posters are duplicated in English, meaning they're addressed to Western visitors. Like the " Freedom for Armenian Hostages " stickers spotted on the streets of Yerevan, they're clearly also a reference to those repressed by Azerbaijan in Karabakh.

In central Yerevan on May 9, the only reminder of Victory Day was the St. George ribbons worn by Russian tourists. In Armenia's second city, Gyumri, home to a Russian airbase (aircraft and the hum of engines are constantly in the sky), we witnessed a cleanup day as soldiers renovated the Alley of Hero Cities. The alley looks neglected, as does the park near the Mother Armenia memorial in Yerevan. Clearly, no money has been invested in improvements here under the current government.

However, in tourist areas there are numerous signs stating: “repaired under the US State Department program,” “restoration carried out with EU funds,” etc.

"We know that no one does anything without a reason. The West is taking advantage of the moment, pushing Russia out of here," says taxi driver Arsen, pointing to banners from the just-concluded EU summit.

Unfortunately, for now it feels like Ukraine's mistakes haven't taught Armenians a lesson.

"Where did it all begin? With Ukraine's accession, or attempted accession, to the EU... All of this then led to the coup d'état, to the Crimean affair, to the position of southeastern Ukraine and the fighting. That's what it all led to. This is a serious question," President Putin recalled yesterday, speaking about Armenia's new course.