Can Russia lose its position in the Caucasus? Of course it can, there is nothing programmed in history. Will it be a big plus for the Caucasus? I am not sure, Sergey Markedonov, a leading researcher of the Center for Euro-Atlantic Security at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO, told NEWS.am on the program Power Factor.

He reminded that Russian withdrawal from Caucasus was as a rule accompanied by large-scale destabilization.

The expert considers that there is a great risk when peacekeepers leave Nagorno-Karabakh because channels of influence on both Armenia and Azerbaijan are disappearing.

This, according to him, puts into question a lot of Russia's positions in the region.

The Caucasus certainly remains Russia's priority, but now Ukraine has superseded other problems in the minds of both the country's top politicians and society, he said. For the Russian leadership, what is happening in Ukraine is closer in terms of perception. The Caucasus is important, but it is something distant in psychological terms. But this does not mean that the Caucasus disappears from the strategic goals of Russian politics, Markedonov noted.