Kremlin propagandist Solovyov says Russia could start ‘special military operation’ against Armenia
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include a response from Armenia’s Foreign Ministry to the comments.
Vladimir Solovyov, one of the Kremlin’s most prominent propagandists, has suggested that Russia would be justified to begin a ‘special military operation’ — the term Russia uses for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — against Armenia.
In an invective-filled monologue on his TV show on Sunday, Solovyov referenced the recent US intervention in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, a long-time ally of Russia.
‘For us, the developments in Armenia are far more painful than those in Venezuela. Losing Armenia is a huge problem’, Solovyov said.
‘We should get our goals straight. The time for games is over. To hell with international law and the global order […] If it was necessary for us to start a [special military operation] on the territory of Ukraine for our national security, why, based on the same considerations, we cannot start a [special military operation] in other points of our zone of influence?’.
In his comments, Solovyov also referred to Central Asia as ‘our Asia’, and suggested that a Westward drift in the region would be a ‘gigantic problem’.
Individual politicians, including from the ruling Civil Contract party, have condemned the remarks and argued that a state award given to Solovyov in 2013 by then-President Serzh Sargsyan be revoked.
The award, the Order of Honour, was granted on the grounds that Solovyov had contributed to the ‘development and strengthening of the Armenian-Russian friendship’, an official Armenian statement at the time read.
Arusyak Julhakyan, an MP from the ruling Civil Contract party, said on Monday that Solovyov’s comments amounted to a ‘hostile manifestation towards Armenia’ and argued that at the very least, his award should be stripped.
Later on Monday, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry told Factor TV that Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin had been issued a summons over Solovyov’s remarks.
A track record of antagonism and inflammatory statements
Solovyov is no stranger to controversy, often relating to his hostile and aggressive comments about Ukraine and the West, such as repeated calls to use nuclear weapons against Kyiv and threats to attack EU capitals with missiles.
As Armenia’s relations with Russia have worsened, Solovyov has also criticised and insulted the government and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, resulting in his TV show being blocked in Armenia in 2024.
In 2025, Solovyov called the Armenian government ‘corrupt, vile, worthless’ and accused it of betraying ‘the history of Armenia’. He also called Pashinyan ‘Turkol’ — a portmanteau of his first name, Nikol, and Turk — as an insult.
Nonetheless, it appears as if his comments on Sunday ‘reflect some of the most explicit public calls for intervention in Armenia aired on Russian state media in recent years’, the Armenian media outlet CivilNet wrote on Monday.
It is not the first time in recent months that Solovyov has threatened military intervention in the South Caucasus, however.
Amidst a breakdown in relations with Azerbaijan, Solovyov said in August 2025 that a new ‘special military operation’ may be necessary to prevent a NATO base from being created on the Caspian Sea.
Nate Ostiller
This article was translated into Russian and republished by our partner SOVA.
This article was translated into Azerbaijani and republished by our partner Meydan TV.
This article was translated into Georgian and republished by our partner On.ge.
