Pro-Kremlin actors launch large scale disinformation campaign targeting Armenia's elections

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:03][music] >> Welcome to Euronews Fact Checking Show, The Cube. As Armenia heads towards parliamentary elections in early June, disinformation campaigns linked to pro-Kremlin actors have dedicated [music] substantial effort to sway the vote. One of the claims suggested that there could be [music] a possible war between Armenia and Russia should candidate and current Prime Minister [music] Nikol Pashinyan win the vote.

[00:00:24]The campaign began in early March and among the fabricated clips, [music] 12 falsely claim that Pashinyan and French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed a secret deal, French support in the elections in exchange for Armenia launching a war against Russia after victory. [music] On the 11th of May, a video falsely claimed that Pashinyan's press secretary had confirmed the presence of [music] NATO instructors in Armenia and that following the parliamentary elections, he would provoke a military conflict with Russia.

[00:00:51][music] But why is Armenia being targeted by pro-Kremlin bots? The campaign has arisen against a backdrop of deepening EU-Armenia relations. In early May, the country hosted the first EU-Armenia summit where European Council President Antonio Costa reaffirmed the EU's commitment [music] to strengthening ties with Yerevan. In 2025, Armenia's parliament also adopted a law launching the EU accession process. [music] Two months after the campaign began and just days after the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew a comparison between Armenia [music] and Ukraine stating that Armenia may experience similar consequences as Ukraine did following its attempt to join the EU. In total, 343 fake videos related to Armenia [music] and Pashinyan were identified as circulating in early May. The pro-Kremlin Matryoshka network, which researchers say organized this campaign, has been [music] active in other elections such as in Poland, Germany and the US. But [music] according to experts, the scale of this campaign is second only to that seen during Moldova's 2025 [music] election.