Russia urgently needs additional human resources to fight in Ukraine. However, its current options are limited.

In his article, Russia’s Armenian Reserves: How the Kremlin Could Use its Troops Abroad to Fight in Ukraine, European Pravda’s editor Yurii Panchenko discusses Russia’s potential military moves. 

While Belarus is hesitating to join Russia’s war on Ukraine, other Collective Security Treaty Organization have rejected the offer altogether. Therefore, Russia is considering recruiting its soldiers stationed abroad. 

Among the most discussed options is the Russian military base number 102 located in the Armenian town Gyumri, which hosts between 4-5 thousand soldiers. Certain signs already indicate that Russia is already recruiting some of them.

Why Armenia? Simply because the withdrawal of this contingent would not result in a catastrophic loss of strategically important positions for Russia. Its official purpose is to pre-empt a potential attack from Azerbaijan and Turkey. Yet, the troops have neither been used during the second Karabakh war in 2020 nor subsequent numerous, though short conflicts at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. 

Per Russia’s policy, these troops can only be engaged if there is a full-scale attack on Armenia, not pre-border conflicts. The relocation of these troops is, therefore, among the least problematic options for Russia. 

However, the actual act of relocating them is a challenge. Russia’s troops in Armenia are represented mainly by motorized infantry. Their military equipment thus has to be transported by plane with a detour in Iran, rendering this option virtually impossible.  More so since it would be impossible for Russia to do it discreetly.

The so-called peacekeepers in the Nagorno Karabakh region serve as an alternative. Although Russia could use the soldiers stationed there, their number does not exceed around several hundred. Furthermore, their equipment would also be difficult to transport.  

Russia, however, has another option. The contractors and "peacekeepers" in both Humri and Karabakh will soon be rotated. Accordingly, the soldiers stationed there could be sent to Ukraine while their peers fighting in Ukraine could take their place instead. The possibility, however, is not immediate and Russia has no time to lose.

Read the full article in Ukrainian here.