Armenia Battles Russian Disinformation Amid Diplomatic Shift and Elections

Armenia Faces Foreign Disinformation Wave Ahead of June Elections

Armenia is grappling with an intensifying surge of foreign disinformation and hybrid attacks as parliamentary elections approach in June, according to government officials. Media experts point to Russia as the primary source of these campaigns, which come at a critical moment in Armenia’s geopolitical realignment.

The warning signals emerge as Yerevan attempts to pivot away from Moscow toward the West while simultaneously working to normalize relations with Azerbaijan following two devastating wars over the disputed Karabakh region.

Russia’s influence across former Soviet territories has weakened considerably since its invasion of Ukraine, which has alarmed many nations previously under Moscow’s control. Although Armenia remains a formal Russian ally, it has suspended participation in a regional security pact, citing Moscow’s failure to provide assistance during the conflict with Azerbaijan.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party is widely expected to prevail in the June elections, facing a fractured and largely unpopular opposition. However, his pro-Western foreign policy has provoked Moscow’s displeasure.

Armenia’s foreign intelligence service reported last month that extensive “malign information operations by external actors” were underway. These operations include spreading false information and conspiracy theories designed to influence voters. The report indicated that “overt activities are usually conducted by foreign state or government bodies, including special services and associated resources,” though it stopped short of naming specific countries.

“Russia is dissatisfied with Armenia,” independent analyst Benjamin Matevosyan told AFP, adding that Moscow views Pashinyan’s rapprochement with the West as an “anti-Russian project that would be used against Russia.”

Gegham Vardanyan of the Media Initiatives Center noted that “hybrid information warfare has intensified alongside Armenia’s changing relations with Russia.” The intelligence service added that these activities also aim to “strip the opportunity for peace” with Azerbaijan after the two countries initialed a peace agreement last year under U.S. mediation.

While Armenia has frozen its participation in the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation and strengthened ties with the European Union and United States, cultural, linguistic, and economic connections to Russia remain significant.

“Russian state television channels remain accessible in Armenia, alongside the Russian state outlet Sputnik and local media that prioritize Kremlin narratives,” Vardanyan explained. He also cited evidence of activity by “Russian-linked hacker groups,” including Fancy Bear (also known as APT28), which has previously targeted Armenian military personnel and diplomats.

The disinformation campaigns frequently employ “clone sites” designed to mimic legitimate Western publications. In one instance, a fake French-language website falsely claimed that Paris was shipping nuclear waste to Armenia. Another French-language site, “Infodu Jour” – styled after the legitimate “Info du jour” – circulated a false report alleging that Pashinyan had purchased a luxury mansion in France.

Both Russian and Azerbaijani outlets have published fabricated stories claiming that officials from the EU monitoring mission in Armenia were spies. According to Vardanyan, social media narratives consistently push “a single core message: cooperation with the West is dangerous for Armenia.”

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan responded forcefully to the disinformation wave, saying, “The enemies of freedom do not sleep. We must acknowledge that they can be very creative, they are ready to pump millions of dollars into propaganda machines and illegal schemes of interference.” He acknowledged the challenge of balancing press freedom with confronting “malign actors,” warning that the problem would likely intensify before the parliamentary elections.

Russia is not the only alleged source of disinformation. Vardanyan pointed out that information attacks are also emanating from Azerbaijan and its close ally, Turkey.

The European Union has allocated €15 million ($17.7 million) to help Armenia counter disinformation. However, Samvel Martirosyan, a media expert specializing in information security, cautioned that external assistance could itself become weaponized by disinformation actors. “Armenia has effectively found itself in a swamp of hybrid warfare, and the situation is made worse by internal actors who become links in this chain,” he added.