The Russian Bear is Losing Its Patience – Expert on Armenia's Duplicity
If Armenia continues to integrate into Western structures, Russia's patience may run out, and it may, for example, cut off Yerevan's gas supply.
Political scientist Alexei Mukhin stated this on air on the Rusarm Info video blog, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"I think this pressure, yes: the EU or the Eurasian Economic Community, is where the Russian leadership has taken a stand . Because we've been watching for a long time how Ukraine has been playing hard to get and ultimately severing all ties with Russia. Moldova has done the same, chopping off its tail piece by piece.
And looking at Armenia, I understand that the permanent members of the Russian Security Council said, "Oh, fine. No, then no." In fact, recently, when Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin commented on the European Union's gradual transition away from Russian energy, he said, "Why are you dragging your feet? Let us cut off your gas ourselves and be done with it."
In this sense, the Russian leadership can be understood, because the sanctions architecture is exhausting and very unpleasant. And at some point, the Russian side may lose patience. I'm not making any threats now, but the point is that the sanctions architecture could lead Russia to take rather drastic actions that no one will like," he noted.
"The Russian Federation has behaved very carefully up to certain points. But when it becomes, so to speak, an unbearable burden, you know what a bear does in such situations. It simply shakes itself off and moves on ," Mukhin said.
Earlier, Russian energy expert Alexander Frolov stated that Armenia faces the risk of repeating Ukraine's "multi-vector" course of 2012-2013.
Russian Bear Loses Patience: Expert on Armenia's Duplicity