Vladimir Putin

Last updated: May 29, 2026

Vladimir Putin has been the central figure in Russia’s management of the South Caucasus for over two decades. His administration brokered the November 9, 2020 ceasefire that ended the 44-Day War, deployed Russian peacekeepers to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), and positioned Russia as the indispensable mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan. That architecture has since collapsed: Russia failed to prevent the Lachin Corridor blockade , took no action during Azerbaijan’s September 2023 offensive that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s entire Armenian population, and watched as Armenia systematically withdrew from Russian-led security and economic structures.

The Ukraine War , which Putin launched in February 2022, fundamentally altered Russia’s capacity and willingness to act in the South Caucasus. With military resources committed to Ukraine and diplomatic isolation from the West deepening, Moscow’s ability to enforce its South Caucasus commitments diminished sharply. Putin’s personal relationships with Aliyev and Pashinyan — and his apparent willingness to tolerate Azerbaijan’s territorial advances — have become a template for how great-power guarantees can unravel when the guarantor’s interests diverge from the guaranteed party’s needs.

Groong covers Putin’s role in South Caucasus affairs through direct analysis of Russian policy, tracking of the peace process mediation formats, and assessment of what Russian withdrawal from its traditional mediating role means for the durability of any future Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement.

Groong episodes that include this tag

Below are all Groong episodes tagged with Vladimir Putin.

Pashinyan Shuns NK | TARC 2.0 | Taliban 2.0 | World Affairs & Pol Analysis | Ep #88 - Sep 5, 2021 [EP88]

Posted on Monday, Sep 6, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Economy, Iran, Azerbaijan, China, Ukraine, Genocide, Syria, Israel, Armenian Genocide, NATO

ANN/Groong Week in Review - September 5, 2021

Topics:

  • Pashinyan & Co. Shun Artsakh Independence
  • Turkey-Armenia Reconciliation Reconstituted?
  • Afghanistan: Taliban 2.0?
  • State of World Affairs
  • State of Political Analysis

Guests:

  • Asbed Kotchikian TW/@AsbedK

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Asbed Bedrossian TW/@qubriq

Episode #88 | Recorded: September 3, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210905.html

Calls for a Commission to Analyze the Defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War | Ep. #82 - July 31, 2021 [EP82]

Posted on Saturday, Jul 31, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Turkey, Economy, Geopolitics, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: cog

Calls for a Commission to Analyze the Defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War

A Conversation with Dr. Simon Saradzhyan, Arthur G. Martirosyan, and Tevan Poghosyan

The disastrous outcome of the 2020 War in Artsakh has left Armenians in Armenia and around the world with many unanswered questions. Many long-time held beliefs about the capability of Armenia to defend Artsakh, and Armenia itself, were shattered on November 9, with the signing of the trilateral ceasefire statement.

A group of more than 10 academics and researchers recently published a lengthy set of questions that are proposed as a basis for

 Read More

Calls for a Commission to Analyze the Defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War | Ep. #82 - July 31, 2021 [EP82]

Posted on Saturday, Jul 31, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Israel, Artsakh, Turkey, Economy, Geopolitics, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

Calls for a Commission to Analyze the Defeat in the 2020 Artsakh War

A Conversation with Dr. Simon Saradzhyan, Arthur G. Martirosyan, and Tevan Poghosyan

The disastrous outcome of the 2020 War in Artsakh has left Armenians in Armenia and around the world with many unanswered questions. Many long-time held beliefs about the capability of Armenia to defend Artsakh, and Armenia itself, were shattered on November 9, with the signing of the trilateral ceasefire statement.

A group of more than 10 academics and researchers recently published a lengthy set of questions that are proposed as a basis for

 Read More

Escalation in Yeraskh | Gunpoint Diplomacy | Emigration | Guest Trip Report | Ep. 81 - July 25, 2021 [EP81]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 27, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Middle East, Economy, China, Georgia, Lebanon, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Escalation in Yeraskh
  • “Peace Treaty” at Gunpoint
  • Emigration out of Armenia
  • Trip Report from Our Guests

Guests:

Episode 81 | Recorded: July 26, 2021

Escalation in Yeraskh | Gunpoint Diplomacy | Emigration | Guest Trip Report | Ep. 81 - July 25, 2021 [EP81]

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 27, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Politics, Geopolitics, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Artsakh, Iran, Middle East, Economy, China, Georgia, Lebanon, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh

ANN/Groong Week in Review - July 25, 2021

Topics:

  • Escalation in Yeraskh
  • “Peace Treaty” at Gunpoint
  • Emigration out of Armenia
  • Trip Report from Our Guests

Guests:

Episode 81 | Recorded: July 26, 2021

Armenian Elections Recap | Protests in Artsakh | (Ep #76) - June 27, 2021 [EP76]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Economy, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh | Series: wir

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 27, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenian Elections Recap
  • Protests in Artsakh

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 76 | Recorded: June 27, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210627.html

Armenian Elections Recap | Protests in Artsakh | (Ep #76) - June 27, 2021 [EP76]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 29, 2021 | Category: Armenia, Russia, Artsakh, Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Economy, Turkey, Nagorno Karabakh

ANN/Groong Week in Review - June 27, 2021 Topics:

  • Armenian Elections Recap
  • Protests in Artsakh

Guests:

  • Hrant Mikaelian
  • Emil Sanamyan

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 76 | Recorded: June 27, 2021 https://groong.org/podcasts/WiR-20210627.html

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War | (Ep #68) - June 8, 2021 [EP68]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 8, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Economy, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Artsakh, Genocide, Middle East, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO | Series: cog

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War

A Conversation with:

Guest:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Cleveland-based historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, with a focus on Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw.

Topics

  • Democracy-building in the Post Soviet Space
  • NATO and expansion
  • Russia in the Caucasus
  • China and the New Silk Road through Iran and Georgia

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War | (Ep #68) - June 8, 2021 [EP68]

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 8, 2021 | Category: Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, China, Ukraine, Economy, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Artsakh, Genocide, Middle East, Syria, Nagorno Karabakh, NATO

Armenia, Superpowers and The New Cold War

A Conversation with:

Guest:

  • Dr. Pietro Shakarian, who is a Cleveland-based historian of Russia and the Soviet Union, with a focus on Soviet Armenia and the Caucasus during the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s Thaw.

Topics

  • Democracy-building in the Post Soviet Space
  • NATO and expansion
  • Russia in the Caucasus
  • China and the New Silk Road through Iran and Georgia

Guest(s):

Hosts:

  • Hovik Manucharyan
  • Asbed Bedrossian

Episode 68 | Recorded: June 4, 2021 Website: https://groong.org/podcasts/CoG-20210608.html