GYUMRI: About 100 people staged a protest on Saturday outside a Russian army base in the Armenian city of Gyumri, calling for an end to Moscow’s military presence in the country.

Armenia, a landlocked ex-Soviet country in the Caucasus, has long relied on Russia to bolster its security in its standoff with neighbouring Azerbaijan. But ties between the traditional allies have been strained since Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Moscow did not intervene to back Armenia.

“We demand the withdrawal of the Russian base from the territory of Armenia. The presence of this base does not ensure security, but creates an internal threat,” said Arman Babajanyan, one of the organisers.

Some protesters held placards with slogans including: “Armenia without Russian boots” and “End the Russian occupation”. “Russia must leave Armenia,” said protester Anahit Tadevosyan who said the Russians were “destroying Ukraine”.

“They have betrayed us, they must leave,” the 74-year-old added. A heavy police presence outside the base — home to around 3,000 troops — prevented clashes between the anti-Russia rally and a rival protest of a few dozen people in support of the base.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025