Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently announced that Russia was fine with letting Armenia and Azerbaijan work out their own peace deal without Kremlin mediation. But it appears Russia can’t help itself from meddling, as Moscow seeks to preserve a controlling level of influence in the Caucasus.

Yerevan on Sept. 18 accused five Armenian citizens and two former residents of Nagorno-Karabakh of undergoing military training in Russia in order to stage an armed coup in Armenia.

The officials stated that seven Armenians were recruited to undergo a three-month-long training in Russia. These insurgents were paid monthly salaries of 220,000 rubles ($2,377) and underwent thorough background checks and polygraph tests before they were sent to “Arbat military base” in Rostov-on-Don,