Turkish Website OdaTV Spreads False Information About Armenian Currency Changes

Turkish media outlet OdaTV has once again published disinformation about Armenia, falsely claiming that the Armenian government plans to remove images of Mount Ararat and Gregory the Illuminator from the 50,000 dram banknote. According to the fabricated report, which cited “anonymous sources,” these symbols would allegedly be replaced with an image of Republic of Armenia Square as part of efforts to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations.

The claim has been categorically refuted by the Central Bank of Armenia. In a statement to the Fact Investigation Platform (FIP), the bank’s Public Relations Department confirmed there are no plans to print new banknotes in the coming years. The department also noted that it had not received any inquiries from media outlets, including OdaTV, seeking to verify such information.

Technical analysis conducted by FIP using Photoshop Detector revealed evidence of image manipulation in the supposed “new banknote” published by OdaTV, further confirming the fabricated nature of the report.

This incident is part of a pattern of disinformation from OdaTV targeting Armenia. The Turkish yellow-press outlet has previously been identified as being involved in Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns. The journalist behind the fake currency story, Okay Deprem, has been exposed as a Kremlin propagandist who holds citizenship in occupied Luhansk.

The broader context of OdaTV’s disinformation activities was highlighted in a report by the French VIGINUM Center for the Fight Against Foreign Information Manipulation. The report identified a Russian disinformation campaign known as Storm 1516, an information manipulation network designed to exert propaganda influence across multiple countries. According to VIGINUM’s findings, OdaTV is one of several media outlets implicated in these Russian-backed disinformation operations.

VIGINUM, established by the French government in 2021, focuses on detecting and preventing foreign digital interference, including disinformation campaigns, bot networks, and manipulative propaganda operations targeting France and other European countries.

The Storm-1516 network has been documented conducting 77 information operations primarily spreading pro-Russian, anti-Western, and anti-Ukrainian narratives and fabricated stories. Its tactics combine both rapid-response disinformation following specific events and longer-term influence campaigns, such as efforts to discredit political figures ahead of elections. The network employs various tools including fake news websites, social media accounts, and AI-generated deepfake videos.

This is not the first time OdaTV has targeted Armenia with false information. The Fact Investigation Platform has been monitoring the Turkish-language website for months, documenting a series of fabricated stories about the Armenian government. Recent examples include a false claim that Armenia’s Prime Minister had committed to building dozens of mosques in the country, and an earlier fabrication alleging that the Prime Minister planned to surrender all of Syunik province and part of Vayots Dzor to Azerbaijan.

The repeated dissemination of disinformation about Armenia appears to be part of a coordinated effort to sow discord and undermine Armenian-Turkish normalization efforts through false narratives. The incident underscores the ongoing challenge of cross-border disinformation campaigns in the South Caucasus region and their potential impact on diplomatic initiatives.