Russia has stepped up efforts to influence the elections in Armenia and undermine the position of incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. In particular, the Russian Federation wants to send about 100 000 Armenians to vote against Pashinyan.
Reuters reports this, citing four sources.
According to the interlocutors, back in October 2025, the Kremlin created a department called the Directorate of Strategic Cooperation and Partnership, which controls influence operations in Armenia.
In recent months, Russian officials have been actively discussing the idea of sending Armenians living in Russia to vote for Pashinyanʼs opponents. The number of people to send is still being discussed, but sources say that Russian authorities have already calculated the cost of sending 100,000 people — it would cost $50 million.
By mid-May, the Kremlin had distributed quotas among Russian regions — how many Armenians should be sent from each — and demanded a report from local authorities on the progress of preparations.
Reuters journalists were unable to determine whether this plan would be implemented in practice and whether there would be enough voters to close the gap between the main candidates in the election.
Polls conducted in May show that Nikol Pashinyanʼs Civil Contract party is still in first place with about 30%, while his closest rival Samvel Karapetyanʼs Strong Armenia is in second place with a wide margin of about 6%.
- Parliamentary elections will be held in Armenia on June 7. In the past few years, Armenia has begun to move closer to the European Union, which has led Russia to threaten the country with higher gas prices.
- Two weeks before the election, Pashinyan was also supported by Donald Trump. Russia accuses Pashinyan of a pro-Western course and demands that businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who is under investigation in Armenia, be allowed to run in the elections.
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