Since the “Velvet Revolution” of 2018 in Armenia, which brought together thousands of citizens around Nikol Pashinian, then a former journalist and opposition candidate, Yerevan has gradually moved away from Moscow. In 2023, the country froze its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the CSTO, the military alliance dominated by Russia, and is now seeking closer ties with Brussels and Washington.
“After the failure in Moldova [la défaite de la coalition des partis prorusses] and in Hungary [celle de l'ancien Premier ministre Viktor Orban]†, advance The Insider, the Kremlin would have “threw all his forces into Armenia†to prevent a new victory for Contract Civil, the ruling party, in the legislative elections of June 7.
During a meeting in the Kremlin, on 1isIn April, Vladimir Putin regretted to Nikol Pashinian that certain pro-Russian forces could not fully participate in the vote, while ensuring that Moscow was not interfering in the Armenian elections. “This is obviously not the case… replica Dossier, who says he consulted internal documents of Russian political strategists “détachés†with several candidates. According to the Russian investigation site, the strategy consists rather of supporting “several figures capable of weakening the Armenian Prime Minister†, then to weigh in a coalition more favorable to the Kremlin after the vote.
Associate Russia with the best
This battle was anticipated in Moscow well before the Armenian legislative campaign of 2026, observes Dossier. From 2023, according to these internal documents, experts close to the Kremlin recommended searching in Armenia “a new political force capable of avoiding a brutal turn towards Europe†. The old opposition being considered worn out, other support was needed: “The Apostolic Church, the diaspora in Russia, the United States and France, the Armenian oligarchs of Russia.†The idea was to change the narrative, associating Russia again with “Armenia’s best years of prosperity†.
Among the figures scrutinized by Moscow, the name of billionaire Samvel Karapetian, founder of the Russian-Armenian construction group Tachir, who launched the Strong Armenia bloc at the end of 2025, kept coming up. Arrested after taking a position in favor of the influential Armenian Apostolic Church – then in tension with Nikol Pashinian – he was then prosecuted for public calls for the seizure of power and money laundering. He was to embody, according to Dossier, not the candidate from Moscow, but a “savior of the Armenian people†. The Insider however, recalls its economic ties with Russia and Gazprom. His arrest and his Russian and Cypriot nationalities further complicated his ambitions.
Moscow would therefore have worked on other scenarios. Arman Tatoyan, former human rights defender of the Republic, who announced his candidacy in October 2025, is presented in the Russian notes – cited by Dossier – as a candidate more “you have progressed†, appelé à devenir “a key player in the election campaign†. According to Russian political communications strategists, the candidate had to say “pro-Armenia†and recognize that “Russia is a reality [avec laquelle l'Arménie doit composer]. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians live there. That’s where the gas comes from.†But above all, do not promise a return to the OTSC or give in to Soviet nostalgia.
A disinformation offensive
Dan’s son enquête, The Insider, without citing its sources, describes an entire ecosystem of foundations, centers of expertise and organizations, analysis centers, pro-Russian relays and officials linked to Russian services. In Yerevan, under the aegis of the Russian House, conferences and summer camps are aimed in particular at young people, who are told that “only Russia can guarantee the future of Armenia†. All information transmitted by The Insider were subsequently denied by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The campaign is also being played out on social networks. The independent Russian-speaking media Vot Tak, which is based on data from the “Bottom Blocker†project [compte sur le réseau social X lancé par des partisans du défunt Alexeï Navalny, principal opposant politique de Vladimir Poutine, il trace puis dénonce la propagande du Kremlin]asserts that the pro-Russian disinformation network Matryoshka deployed greater resources in Armenia than those committed to the American, German or Polish elections. Launched two hundred and forty-three days before the vote, making it the Russian destabilization campaign “the earliest†, At the beginning of May, it already counted 343 false videos targeting Armenia and Nikol Pashinian. These contents claimed in particular that “the Prime Minister is corrupt, he sold the country to the West, he is preparing war with Russia or hiding health problems†.
