https://ekstrategies.org/articles/destabilisation-as-the-primary-goal-of-the-kremlins-campaign-in-armenias

Canonical URL: https://ekstrategies.org/articles/destabilisation-as-the-primary-goal-of-the-kremlins-campaign-in-armenias
Publisher: ekstrategies.org
Country: Armenia
Fetched at: 2026-05-24T06:34:38.567887Z

Extracted claims (8)

In April 2026, Putin met with Pashinyan, framing Armenia's cooperation with the EU and Russia as mutually exclusive and requesting all pro-Kremlin politicians, including imprisoned ones, be allowed to participate in the elections.
The Kremlin's election campaign includes discrediting Pashinyan, sowing division with the Armenian Apostolic Church, and promoting narratives that Pashinyan 'sold' Karabakh and Armenia to Azerbaijan and Turkey.
A February 2026 International Republican Institute poll shows Pashinyan's Civil Contract leading with about 24–29%, Strong Armenia party about 9–11%, with around 30% undecided voters.
Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman with Kremlin ties and leader of the Strong Armenia party, is currently in pre-trial detention amid the Kremlin's attempts to promote him as an alternative political figure in Armenia.
Kremlin influence operations extend through the Armenian diaspora in Russia and Europe, mobilized by figures like Ara Abramyan in Russia and Ashot Grigoryan leading PANAP – Vienna Club in Europe.
ANO Eurasia, a Russian NGO chaired by State Duma Speaker Volodin and including Russia Today editor Margarita Simonyan, serves as the principal operational vehicle for the Kremlin's campaign in Armenia.
Coordination of Russia's interference in Armenian politics is managed by high-level Kremlin officials including Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov and First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Kirienko.
The Kremlin's campaign in Armenia's summer 2026 elections uses propaganda, disinformation, provocations, and coordination with Armenian political and civil society actors under Kremlin control aiming to destabilize Armenia politically and reduce Western engagement.