Russian soldiers formally left Yerevan's international Zvartnots Airport on July 31, concluding 32 years of their deployment there.
Russian forces been stationed at Zvartnots Airport since Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union and military conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. Armenian authorities informed the Russian side in March that the presence of their soldiers at the airport was no longer needed, a move that came amid rising tensions between the longtime allies.
The process of their withdrawal was completed with a formal ceremony, during which Edgar Hunanian, the newly appointed head of Armenia's border guard, thanked the Russian detachment for their service.
Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized the move, saying that it posed the risk of causing "irreparable damage" to the relations between the two countries, and that it could result in heightened security concerns for Armenia.
Russian troops also continue to guard Armenia's borders with Turkey and Iran, and maintain a base in the Armenian city of Gyumri. Russian "peacekeepers" withdrew from Nagorno-Karabakh in June, Azerbaijani authorities said.
Armenia has had a historically close relationship with Russia, especially vis-a-vis its primary regional foe Azerbaijan, and has thus largely refrained from getting involved in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The calculus changed after Russian "peacekeepers" failed to prevent Azerbaijan's offensive into the Nagorno-Karabakh region, primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, in September 2023.
Disappointed with Russia and fearing renewed hostilities with Baku, Yerevan has been turning West for new partnerships.
EU ambassadors approved the launch of a visa-free dialogue with Armenia in July and, for the first time in history, agreed to allocate military aid from the European Peace Facility (EPF) to the country.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
