Reuters: Russia attempts to influence elections in Armenia

Russia has intensified efforts to influence the political situation in Armenia ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7,  Reuters reports, citing Western intelligence and government sources.

According to the agency’s interlocutors and reviewed documents, the efforts include disinformation campaigns in support of pro-Russian candidates, as well as an alleged scheme to transport Armenian citizens from Russia to participate in voting.

Latest estimates suggest that up to 2 million Armenians live in Russia, but they cannot vote from abroad, so the plan involves physically transporting people.

Sources say the cost of such an operation could amount to around $50 million to transport 100,000 people. However, there is no consensus within the intelligence community on how feasible this scheme is or whether it could influence the election outcome.

The agency’s sources claim that Moscow is considering these steps amid concerns about Armenia’s further rapprochement with the EU and the West if Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who remains the frontrunner according to polls, wins.

It is noted that in recent years Armenia has significantly reduced its participation in Russian integration structures and expanded cooperation with the EU and the United States, which has strained relations with Moscow.

According to Reuters, businessman Samvel Karapetyan is mentioned as a possible preferred candidate from Russia’s perspective. He is currently under investigation on charges of calling for the overthrow of the government, which he denies.

There are also reports of possible cyber operations and the use of disinformation networks to discredit the Armenian government. Western structures claim that some of these campaigns may be linked to entities previously sanctioned by the EU and the United Kingdom for spreading disinformation.