Opinion: 'Everything must be done to ensure Russian Railways leaves Armenia'
Will Russian Railways leave Armenia?
Russia maintains contact with its Armenian partners, including through the government’s economic bloc, and the relevant agencies are handling all requests from Yerevan promptly, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. She was responding to a question about the restoration and construction of railway lines in Armenia leading to the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The issue concerns three key sections: Yeraskh–Nakhchivan, Gyumri–Kars and Ijevan–Gazakh. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan raised the matter more than a month ago. Armenia turned to Russia because, since 2008, South Caucasus Railways has operated the country’s railway network as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Russian Railways. The parties signed the concession agreement for 30 years.
Officials and experts say the project cannot continue without restoring these three railway sections, which form part of the so-called “Trump Route”. They say this is the only way to fully unblock Armenia.
The “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) would link Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan via Armenian territory. On 8 August in Washington, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed that the road would remain under Armenia’s sovereign control, with the United States joining the unblocking process as a business partner. As a result, the project became known as the “Trump Route”, after the mediator involved.
“We have approached Russia in writing as well. At this stage, I do not know whether there has been a written response. But overall, there are positive signals. I hope the process will speed up and that our Russian partners will not delay resolving the issue,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told journalists in recent days.
According to the prime minister, Armenia is ready to cooperate with its Russian partners but cannot halt regional processes. He also said that Armenia could revoke the concession and carry out the restoration of the railway sections itself if the Russian side fails to act.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova did not address the question raised by the Armenian authorities. Instead, she once again stated that Moscow was ready to join the “Trump Route” project.
Commenting on the situation, political analyst Ruben Meghrabyan said the Armenian government was not explicitly telling Russian Railways to leave. He added, however, that unlike the authorities, the expert community was ready for such a step. Meghrabyan said he did not expect any positive moves from Russia.
“They will drag out the process so that Armenia is unable to establish railway links with its neighbours. That is not in their interests,” he said.
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Armenia’s appeal and Russia’s response
In December 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that restoring several railway sections was crucial to the unblocking of Armenia. He identified three routes that would connect Armenia with Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan and Turkey.
The prime minister urged Russia to address the issue urgently, warning that Yerevan would proceed on its own if necessary.
“The Armenian government can withdraw these sections from the concession. We will carry out the restoration work using state budget funds if it turns out that Russia has any difficulties or sees problems with completing the work on time,” he said.
Heads of state also discussed the issue. During a meeting with Pashinyan in December, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured him of Russia’s readiness to work jointly on “restoring old routes and creating new ones”.
Two weeks ago, official information emerged that representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan had jointly inspected the Yeraskh–Sadarak railway section. The visit aimed to assess the technical condition of the line ahead of potential restoration work.
Russia says it intends to “take part” in TRIPP
The “Trump Route” is a bilateral Armenian–US project. In January this year, Armenia and the United States agreed on the framework for its implementation. Under the plan, Azerbaijan would gain unhindered access to its exclave of Nakhchivan via Armenian territory, while Armenia would benefit from improved international and domestic transport links.
Russia has repeatedly expressed readiness to join the project. Armenia has consistently responded that it does not rule out Russian involvement in infrastructure projects, but not in TRIPP itself.
“We have no intention of excluding Russia in any way. Russia’s presence in various infrastructure projects in Armenia is obvious. This is also an opportunity for Russia — again, not within the framework of TRIPP. But as part of the continuation of the ‘Trump Route’, there could be other forms of activity, connectivity and cooperation,” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said a few weeks ago.
Despite this, Moscow’s rhetoric has not changed.
“As for the road known as the Trump Route, we confirm our readiness to explore possible options for our involvement, including taking into account the unique expertise of Russian Railways. But first, it would probably be necessary to familiarise ourselves with all the details of how this initiative will be implemented and function. As we understand it, work on it is still at an early stage. Our proposal to Yerevan to hold substantive consultations involving all interested agencies remains in force,” said Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Meanwhile, according to the document signed in Washington, Armenia will cooperate with the United States and “mutually agreed third parties” in implementing the project. So far, neither Yerevan nor Washington has spoken publicly about involving any third parties.
Expert’s commentary
Political analyst Ruben Meghrabyan says that Russian Railways no longer has a role to play in Armenia.
“First, the Russians have no money. Second, even if they did — and even if they joined the project — it would only be to ensure that it never materialises. And if it did operate, it would be solely under tight Russian control,” he said.
According to Meghrabyan, officials in Moscow assume they can shape the outcome because the Armenian government has not taken a firm position and continues to smooth over contentious issues.
Commenting on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent remarks about “positive signals”, the analyst said there has been no actual response from Russia.
“What are these signals from Moscow based on? There is a massive hole in Russian Railways’ budget. They have effectively looted themselves and are now demanding money from the Russian government. Why would they spend money in Armenia? There is no answer to that question,” he said.
Meghrabyan also raised concerns about the future of South Caucasus Railways, a subsidiary of Russian Railways operating in Armenia.
“How long are we supposed to tolerate the presence of this backward company on our railways?” he asked.
He described the operator as a structure “working by the standards of Brezhnev’s Soviet Union of the 1970s and engaged in self-looting in its own country”.
“Russian Railways must leave Armenia — and not at some vague point in the future, as if we have endless time to wait while they make up their minds,” he concluded.
Will Russian Railways leave Armenia?
