An entrepreneur who knows the Russian mentality well and heads an investment fund financing the so-called "Trump Corridor" in the South Caucasus. Who is Konstantin Sokolov really and what role does he play in Armenia?
Until recently, the 52-year-old Russian-American entrepreneur Konstantin Sokolov was not particularly popular in the South Caucasus. But recently, interest in him has been growing. In mid-July, Sokolov, who emigrated from Russia to the United States at the age of 21 and founded the investment company IJS Investments in Chicago, headed a new investment fund of the US Department of State.
The US is investing hundreds of millions in the region
The TRIPP+ fund, registered in the US as the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund, with an initial capital of over 200 million US dollars, will invest in the countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia and will serve to finance the large-scale infrastructure project TRIPP, also known as the “Trump Corridor“. This is about the connection between Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhichevan through Armenia.
The ambitious project for this corridor is part of the peace agreement that Baku and Yerevan signed with the mediation of the US in August 2025. According to experts, Washington's strategy is to connect Europe with the South Caucasus through this corridor and other projects, thus bypassing the current logistical connections through Russia and Iran.
Purchases of companies in Armenia
Konstantin Sokolov has long invested in Armenia. Back in 2024, he took control of "Viva Armenia" - the largest telecommunications operator in the country. Recently, Sokolov's companies also acquired the Armenian subsidiary of the Russian concern “Rostelecom“.
Another deal, concluded in secret, is for the “Tegut“ copper and molybdenum deposit, which owed large sums to the Russian bank VTB. According to the Armenian service of “Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty“, the deal was concluded through a third company. “Sokolov wanted to avoid a direct deal with the Russian bank“, explains the journalist of the media Makurdich Karapetyan to DW.
Trump ally and Republican sponsor
The government of Nikolay Pashinyan welcomes Western investments in the country, but the opposition in Armenia sees risks in them. It is worrying that an American investor could acquire serious assets in the country's finances, natural resources and telecommunications within a few years, says Mesrop Manukyan from the opposition alliance “Armenia“. The coalition, which advocates for closer relations with Russia, defines the “Trump corridor“ as the biggest threat to Armenia's security.
Sokolov avoids publicity, and there are no official photos of his visits to Armenia. He last met with Prime Minister Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in August. In the West, however, he is well-known. Sokolov is a major donor to the Republican Party in the US and an ally of Trump. According to the “Associated Press“ in just one year, he spent about $11 million supporting the MAGA movement.
The reasons for Sokolov being chosen to implement such key projects are probably twofold, says Benjamin Poghosyan of the Armenian think tank APRI. The first is related to his Russian roots and can be read “as a gesture by Washington to limit criticism of Russia“. The second is pragmatic. "Sokolov may have been chosen because he has a deep understanding of business in the former Soviet Union and is familiar with Armenia and the way the state apparatus functions there," Poghosyan said in an interview with DW.
A compromise figure or an opponent of the Kremlin?
For one part of Armenian society, he is a compromise figure, for another, he is far from it, because he strongly condemns Russian aggression against Ukraine and the government in Moscow. According to Aram Sargsyan of the Republican Party of Armenia, which is an ally of Pashinyan, Sokolov's experience is of great value. "Sokolov has significant business contacts, understands the Russian mentality perfectly, speaks the language and knows how to work with important Russian structures," the politician believes.