US Senators Urge Meta, Google to Combat Russian Disinformation in Armenian Election

In a significant diplomatic move, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has called on tech giants Meta and Alphabet to combat Russian disinformation ahead of Armenia’s crucial parliamentary elections in June. The formal request, made public Monday, came in the form of letters addressed directly to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senator Thom Tillis, expressed concern that Moscow is adapting tactics previously deployed in Moldova to influence Armenia’s democratic process. The senators praised the companies for their previous efforts to counter similar Russian operations during Moldova’s 2025 election.

“While the United States must remain impartial in its views about the results of Armenia’s democratic process, we cannot turn a blind eye when we see a foreign power attempt to impose its will on the Armenian people,” the senators wrote, underscoring the geopolitical stakes of the upcoming vote.

The timing of this intervention comes as both Armenian officials and the European Union have issued repeated warnings about escalating Russian disinformation campaigns targeting the Caucasus nation. The EU has already committed resources, sending specialized teams to Armenia to help counter these influence operations.

Armenian fact-checking organizations have documented a surge in foreign-sourced disinformation, with some content traced directly to Russian origins. These campaigns appear designed to undermine the current government led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and its policy initiatives.

In their letter to Zuckerberg, the senators emphasized the strategic importance of the upcoming elections, noting they “are likely to determine the outcome of regional peace initiatives and connectivity projects.” This includes the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which they described as “a key component of peace talks” between Armenia and Azerbaijan—two countries with a long history of territorial conflict.

Both letters cited findings from the Union of Informed Citizens, an Armenian civil society organization, which has documented how Meta and Alphabet platforms are being used to disseminate “manipulative content” about the election. The senators specifically highlighted evidence of “coordinated inauthentic behavior” reportedly directed by a Russian-Armenian oligarch previously identified by the Trump administration as a “significant senior foreign political figure” with close ties to the Kremlin.

Though not explicitly named in the letters, this individual is almost certainly Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian tycoon currently under house arrest in Armenia. Karapetyan faces serious allegations of calling for a coup against Pashinyan’s government and money laundering. Despite these legal troubles—and Armenian laws that make him ineligible for the prime minister position—Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party has emerged as the strongest challenger to Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party ahead of the June vote.

Karapetyan’s name appeared on a 2018 list of key Russian oligarchs compiled during President Donald Trump’s first term, along with other influential Russian-linked business figures. His political ambitions in Armenia have raised concerns about external influence in the country’s domestic politics.

The senators concluded their appeal by urging both tech companies to take proactive measures, stating, “If these efforts use platforms based in the jurisdiction of the United States, our responsibility is even greater to mitigate and prevent such efforts.”

This intervention highlights growing concerns in Washington about Russian information operations targeting democratic processes in countries of strategic interest to the United States. It also demonstrates continued bipartisan consensus on countering Russian influence campaigns, even as American politics remain deeply divided on other foreign policy issues.

As Armenia approaches its parliamentary elections, the international spotlight on potential foreign interference underscores the country’s complex geopolitical position between Russia and Western powers.