Armenian Prime Minister **Nikol Pashinyan** declared victory in the country's parliamentary election on Monday, with his pro-European **Civil Contract party** securing nearly half the vote. This outcome came despite what researchers described as one of the largest Russia-linked disinformation campaigns ever to target Armenia. **Pashinyan's** party won close to 50% of Sunday's vote, defeating the pro-Russian **Strong Armenia party**, led by Russian-Armenian billionaire **Samvel Karapetyan**, which garnered approximately 23%. ## The "Matryoshka" Campaign Unmasked The election results followed months of coordinated Russia-linked online attacks designed to destabilize **Pashinyan's** government. These operations involved fabricated news reports, manipulated videos, and waves of bot activity. The narratives accused the Armenian leader of corruption, plotting against Russia, and even involvement in serious crimes ranging from sexual assault to organ trafficking. Researchers from the organization **Antibot4Navalny** revealed that Kremlin-linked actors spent eight months targeting Armenia's election. This extensive campaign, known as **Matryoshka**, propagated fabricated news and manipulated videos across social media platforms. Experts described it as one of the most comprehensive influence operations they have encountered recently. The **Matryoshka** campaign sought to portray **Pashinyan's** re-election as a dangerous path towards military confrontation with Russia. It also warned that Armenia could face consequences akin to those experienced by Ukraine if it continued strengthening ties with Europe. Despite the scale of this information operation and Russian influence, Armenia recorded its highest voter turnout since 2018. ## Sophisticated Tactics and Broader Operations According to researchers at the **Institute for Strategic Dialogue**, Russia-aligned networks employed a wide array of tactics. These included creating fake media websites, impersonating journalists and legitimate news outlets, and amplifying false narratives through influencers and interconnected websites to lend credibility to fabricated stories. "In addition to being persistent, these operations have used a wide range of sophisticated tactics to make their fabricated claims appear genuine and to ensure they are seen by a wide audience," the researchers noted. **Matryoshka** is understood to be part of Russia's broader **Doppelganger** influence operation. This larger network is notorious for cloning legitimate media and government websites to disseminate propaganda under seemingly trusted brands. ## Beyond Disinformation: Hybrid Threats The election process was also disrupted by false bomb threats. These threats were sent to several polling stations from foreign phone numbers and email addresses, as reported by Armenian authorities. The **Armenian Interior Ministry** [stated](https://armenpress.am/en/article/1252233) the threats were fake, characterizing them as potential attempts at "hybrid influence" aimed at undermining public confidence in the electoral process and creating anxiety. ## Armenia's Shifting Geopolitical Landscape **Pashinyan** has steadily moved Armenia away from Russia, traditionally the country's main security partner. This shift follows Moscow's perceived failure to prevent Azerbaijan from retaking Nagorno-Karabakh, a defeat that significantly eroded Russia's standing among many Armenians. His government has instead pursued closer cooperation with Western partners. Notably, former U.S. President **Donald Trump** previously endorsed **Pashinyan's** re-election bid. Furthermore, the **European Union** [agreed](https://news.liga.net/en/politics/news/the-eu-will-send-a-mission-to-armenia-to-counter-disinformation) to deploy a civilian mission to Armenia specifically to help counter foreign disinformation. ## A Regional Pattern The Armenian election mirrors a pattern observed last year in Moldova. There, authorities [accused](https://therecord.media/moldova-election-pro-eu-party-wins-ddos-incidents-influence-ops) Russia of combining cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and hoax bomb threats in an effort to influence elections. Moldova's pro-European government ultimately prevailed in that contest as well.