by Martin Aslan Democracy is deeply rooted in Armenia and has a long history. The current Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, was one of the key architects of a political shift towards the West and the search for new partners, driven in particular by a desire to break free from Russia, which has historically tried to maintain a strong influence since 1991. Russia has lost its grip on the South Caucasus in recent years. Whilst Azerbaijan is increasingly proving to be a rival to Russia and Georgia has been caught up in a pro-European momentum for several years, Armenia constituted Moscow’s last foothold in what was considered its own backyard. Russia senses the tide turning and fears the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary elections to be held on 7 June. Whilst Armenia is already facing disinformation campaigns, and political and economic pressure from Russia, which is seeking to sway Armenian public opinion in favor of pro-Russian candidates, the polls indicate that the incumbent Pr...