Spokeswoman: NATO exercises aim to train Armenian troops to fight Russia

Russia has accused NATO of using joint military exercises with Armenia to prepare its forces for potential confrontation with Moscow, escalating rhetorical tensions over Yerevan’s growing defence engagement with Western partners.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a briefing that Armenian soldiers were being trained under NATO-linked programmes with Russia effectively cast as a “potential adversary”, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“There is no secret that in such training exercises our country is being presented as a potential adversary,” Zakharova said.

“Armenian servicemen will be trained to fight against Russia. At one time, it would have been impossible even to imagine such a thing.”

Her remarks come amid Armenia’s expanding security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO, which has included participation in drills and interoperability programmes in recent years as Yerevan recalibrates aspects of its defence policy.

Zakharova also highlighted Russia’s long-standing cultural and demographic ties with Armenia, noting that many ethnic Armenians reside in Russia and framing the two countries as part of a shared historical and cultural space.

By Aghakazim Guliyev