The Washington Post: in Armenia, someone sees a conspiracy that does not exist

“Last month, the Armenian electricity monopoly, owned by a Russian conglomerate led by one of Vladimir Putin’s close associates, received permission from a government commission to significantly increase prices,” recalls The Washington Post. People took to the streets of Yerevan in protest. They made no political demands, and Western governments “kept their distance.” Thus, the American embassy called for “peaceful, restrained behavior.”

“However, Putin’s propaganda apparatus hastened to draw conclusions. Russian media announced that the protests were orchestrated by the US Embassy in an effort to replicate last year's popular revolution in Ukraine,” the editorial said.

“The remarkable thing about this untrue reaction is that it is not just for rhetoric. It seems that Putin and his inner circle, gripped by cynicism and paranoia, perceive any unrest in Russia and the neighboring countries it seeks to dominate as the product of secret conspiracies. The Kremlin dismisses the idea that Armenians, an impoverished people whose leadership sold most of the state economy to Russia, could be sincerely upset by a 17 percent rise in electricity prices imposed by an opaque concern headquartered in Moscow as naive,” the publication continues.

Armenia and other states dependent on Russia are suffering from its “economic collapse,” the article says. “The fall of the ruble dragged down the Armenian currency, while the decline in income of the energy conglomerate Inter RAO UES, led by Igor Sechin (who is on the US sanctions list), forced him to insist on increasing the profits of his Armenian division. “In short, the Armenians do not need American tips to stage an uprising. Putin and his gang are giving enough reasons,” the newspaper summarizes.