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Russian President Vladimir Putin, over the last 18 years, has maintained strong political, military and economic relations – sometimes welcome, sometimes not – with these countries and their leaders in an attempt to keep them on Russia’s side. Russia’s intervention in Syria’s civil war and its growing alliances with Iran and Turkey makes maintaining influence over the South Caucasus states even more enticing for Putin. In extending the rule of Sargsyan, Armenia followed the Putinist model of government. The grand bargain of this model is the promise of political stability in exchange for closed-door politics. Armenia and Russia are still close allies and likely will remain allies no matter who succeeds Sargsyan. As in Armenia, Russia did not export the Putinist model to these places so much as these leaders eagerly adopted it. Nor will Russia’s. Sargsyan could build a similar model of influence over Armenian affairs and continue his own “politics of eternity.” Sargsyan’s forced resignation was a blow to the Putinist model of leadership. It is simply a loud and important statement by fiercely independent Armenians. This article was originally published on The Conversation.