In a tense exchange of statements on November 12, the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Russia accused Armenia of attempting to distance itself from Moscow by purchasing Ukrainian grain, mocking the EU over frozen Russian assets. However, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan firmly denied the claims as "absolutely absurd," while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov defended the SVR’s credibility and reiterated Moscow’s commitment to strong bilateral ties and high-level cooperation with Yerevan.

Russian Foreign Intelligence Service's Report

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia (SVR) claimed that Yerevan intended to further distance itself from Moscow by purchasing Ukrainian grain instead of Russian supplies. According to the SVR press service, Armenia allegedly sought to support Ukraine politically despite the higher cost of Ukrainian grain. The SVR’s statement read that Armenia had traditionally imported grain from Russia for many years but was now "ready to break away" and assist Ukraine through grain purchases.

The agency’s press release also mocked the European Union, suggesting that it could use frozen Russian assets to fund the transactions. "The key question is where to get the money. Due to the Ukrainian conflict and the desire to defeat Russia, EU countries have found themselves on the brink of a socio-economic crisis; their budgets are empty. It would be nice to pay for the Ukrainian grain with stolen Russian assets. But so far, they haven’t been able to dismantle them. Belgium, the holder of this ‘thieves’ common fund,’ is balking. You see, they’re afraid they’ll be held accountable," the statement said. The SVR concluded its remarks by describing Armenia’s supposed actions as "Yerevan’s kiss".

Response from Nikol Pashinyan

Later that day, Nikol Pashinyan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, rejected the SVR’s claims, emphasizing that Armenia had no intention of abandoning Russian grain to support Ukraine. Responding to questions about the Russian agency’s report, Pashinyan stated: "This cannot be true. This is the first time I’ve violated my principle of not commenting on things I haven’t read, but I declare that this is absolutely absurd".

Comment from Russia

Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the President of Russia, was also asked to comment on the matter. He defended the SVR’s credibility, saying: "As for the SVR’s reports, they are never unfounded". Peskov added that Moscow continued to develop cooperation with Armenia both bilaterally and through integration frameworks. "We will continue to do so. Frequent contacts at the highest level are taking place," he noted. Peskov further underlined that Russia valued its partnership with Armenia and hoped to maintain it. "We have many issues on the bilateral cooperation agenda. We hope that this cooperation will continue," he remarked.