Moscow Nervous About US Nuclear Breakthrough In Armenia
- 15.02.2026, 12:13
Shoigu suddenly recalled the 90s.
The Kremlin has publicly criticized an agreement between Washington and Yerevan to invest $9 billion in the construction of a US nuclear power plant in Armenia. Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is close to dictator Vladimir Putin, made the statement.
His words were published by Russian media, Dialog.UA.
The Kremlin's displeasure is understandable. The visit to Yerevan of US Vice President J.D. Vance ended with the signing of the agreement. It involves the creation of a new American nuclear power plant in Armenia.
This nuclear power plant could eventually replace the Metsamor plant, which provides about 40% of the country's electricity generation. It is now controlled by Moscow, meaning Armenia is totally dependent on Russia.
The increased cooperation between Yerevan and Washington will deprive the Kremlin of this important leverage. Shoigu, who has moved to the post of secretary of the Russian Security Council, frankly stated that Moscow views the initiative as a risk factor.
"In case the construction of small reactors using American technology on Armenian territory enters the practical phase, we, (...) and the population of Armenia itself will have to take into account these new risks in the sphere of nuclear security.... Nearby, at our side, (...) American experiments in the sphere of nuclear technologies will be carried out.... This should be seen as a threat," the Putin regime spokesman said.
Shoigu said the Russian side has several fundamental claims to the project. Separately, Shoigu tried to put pressure on Armenia, reminding the country of the difficult energy situation in Armenia in the early 1990s.
"Although it was very difficult in Russia then, we were able to find an opportunity to help our Armenian friends," he said.
The Russian official also questioned the economic feasibility of the initiative. According to him, if we are talking about NuScale Power's 77 megawatt modules, "it was the high cost of energy that caused the failure of its project in Utah."
In addition, Shoigu said that the spent nuclear fuel will be stored in Armenia, and the format of the deal, in his assessment, is a purchase of a plant, not a full-fledged investment in the national economy.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also previously said that the US was offering Yerevan allegedly unproven solutions, the cost of which could be higher than stated.
The signed agreement was part of a broader US strategy to strengthen its position in the South Caucasus. A few months earlier, Donald Trump mediated a draft peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The document envisages the creation of a transit corridor through Armenian territory called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.
It was previously thought that Moscow might gain control of the so-called Zangezur corridor. However, Russia lost this opportunity. Against the background of the new energy project, Russia's influence in the Armenian nuclear energy sector is in question.
The construction of the American plant can significantly change the balance of power in the region, reducing Yerevan's economic and technological dependence on Moscow. For the Kremlin, this will be another geopolitical failure.