Russia could halt natural gas supplies to Armenia from November 1 if a number of reported political demands are not met, according to Hraparak, which cited unnamed sources in Russia. The claim has not been officially confirmed by either the Armenian or Russian authorities.
According to the newspaper, the issue is not a possible increase in the price of Russian gas but the prospect of supplies being completely suspended. Hraparak claimed that Armenia is currently receiving gas from stored reserves during maintenance work and alleged that supplies might not resume after a possible “accident” or force majeure in November. These details are based on the newspaper’s unnamed sources and have not been independently confirmed.
The publication reported that Moscow has allegedly presented Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan with several conditions intended to prevent such a scenario.
The first reportedly concerns Russia’s 102nd Military Base in Armenia, with Moscow allegedly demanding that Yerevan stop raising questions concerning the base.
The second reported condition concerns companies with Russian capital, including the railway and Gazprom-related interests. According to Hraparak, Russia wants the Armenian authorities to refrain from measures affecting such assets.
The third reported demand concerns Armenia’s relations with the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. The newspaper claims that Moscow has proposed either repealing the law launching Armenia’s EU accession process or announcing a date for a referendum on the issue.
The fourth reported condition concerns what the newspaper describes as pressure on figures viewed as pro-Russian. Hraparak itself named Robert Kocharyan, Gagik Tsarukyan, Andranik Tevanyan and Samvel Karapetyan in this context; this characterization and the claim of politically motivated persecution are the publication’s framing, not an independently established fact.
The newspaper also reported an additional demand concerning the appointment of a deputy prime minister acceptable to Moscow who could maintain direct contacts with Russian authorities.
Hraparak said it attempted to verify the information with Armenian government circles. According to the publication, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure had promised to respond to its inquiry, but no response had been received by the time the article was published.
As of September 24, the reported November 1 cutoff and the alleged political conditions remain media claims based on unnamed sources rather than an officially announced decision on Russian gas supplies to Armenia.
