
In short: regarding the last two days in Armenia 🙂
But seriously, now that passions have cooled a bit, I’ll try to address the topic more calmly and in greater detail. Here are a few observations:
1#Solovyov is not a decision-maker in Russian foreign policy. He never has been, and never will be. He is merely a propagandist. It is not up to him to decide whether Russia should start an "SVO" (Special Military Operation); otherwise, #Russia shouldn't have started a war against #Ukraine at all, nor should it have taken Crimea. Years ago, when Solovyov was asked about "taking back" Crimea, he replied, "God forbid." You all know well what happened in 2014.
2By the way, what "SVO" in Armenia or Central Asia? While one power solves the Maduro issue in four hours, another can’t manage Kyiv in four years (though, to be fair, the other one didn’t succeed in Afghanistan in 20 years either).
3However, Solovyov's words shouldn't be completely dismissed or devalued. When the main "star" of political shows on Russian state TV allows himself such statements regarding Central Asia and Armenia, it speaks to a qualitative shift in Russia's relations with these countries. And qualitative changes don't always imply positive developments; the scale doesn't only go up. If you follow Solovyov's podcasts and shows permanently, you’ll hear scandalous statements of varying quality fired off at machine-gun speed, only to be forgotten the next day. In any case, one must distinguish Vladimir Rudolfovich from Vladimir Vladimirovich.
4And yes, there is no need to look for conspiracies behind Solovyov's words. As if he did it on purpose or gave a "pass" to the Armenian authorities so they could use anti-Russian sentiments to consolidate their electorate before elections. Solovyov may be many things, but he is not stupid, and he won’t shoot himself in the foot.
5Formalities and flirtations, including those at the level of "pro-Armenian" media figures, are in the past. Moscow and other geopolitical centers no longer worry about what people will think of them, even in friendly countries. To quote a classic: you have to look and see (listen) to what Trump says about taking Greenland by force, or about Europe in general, to understand that the world is returning to the basic settings of a global "thug-style" bazaar. Look at what Russia is doing now in Ukraine—a country Putin completely identified with the Russian world, previously lavishing Ukrainians with the "we are one people" thesis.
6Another important factor: Solovyov is also a showman. No matter how monolithic the Russian media landscape seems from the outside, there is competition for ratings in that market. Everyone and every media outlet, even the most pro-government ones, tries to prove their worth to the authorities every day by demonstrating their influence on a large audience. So, Solovyov's current vocabulary, while very harsh, is not a new phenomenon and shouldn't come as a surprise.
7Just remember what was said about Armenia and what epithets were lavished on Russian state airwaves back during Serzh Sargsyan's presidency. Do you remember the humiliating comparison on NTV in 2017—"Armenia is a wandering/unfaithful wife"—used to label Armenia's foreign policy for its attempts to interact with the West? And this was in 2017, when Armenia was already a member of the EAEU, and the agenda was the development of the CSTO...
Conclusion: This is neither the beginning nor the end. Situations like this will happen again because Armenia-Russia relations are truly transforming, and it won't be painless. The solution is as old as humanity and trivial: show maturity as a state and society, and work, work, and work again on developing our own capabilities, opportunities, and alternatives.

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