the russians may be willing to play along with the turks in armenia if it facilitates an easier victory in idlib, which is what they seem to be more concerned about. i worry, though, that any concessions to the barbarians - however temporary - will only embolden them. and, this is what happens when you sell weapons to barbarians.

they've been encroaching into this region for centuries, they're not going to just stop because vlad puts his foot down. janissaries or no, the process of turkish colonization in the region never ended, and the historical process around it will need to be to unfold it, in the long run. the armenians will remain sitting ducks until the turks are sent back to asia.

the russians just seem to want to avoid escalating, and it seems to be a very momentary type of thing. that could change next week.

so, don't be surprised if the russians do this properly, when the time comes - however long it takes for that to materialize. this is just too orderly to be what it seems.