In recent months, officials from Moscow have discussed a plan to repatriate Armenian citizens living in Russia. The action aims to accumulate votes for the rivals of the current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the parliamentary elections.
According to Reuters, Russian authorities have estimated the cost of transporting 100,000 voters to be around 50 million dollars. By mid-May, the Kremlin had distributed quotas among the Russian regions. The number of Armenians to be repatriated from each area was established, and local authorities were asked for reports.
Reuters journalists could not determine whether this plan is being implemented or if this number of voters will be sufficient to narrow the gap between the main election candidates.
On June 7, parliamentary elections will take place in Armenia, reports Meduza. The current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is one of the main candidates. In recent years, Armenia has begun to approach the European Union, and two weeks before the elections, Donald Trump also supported Pashinyan.
Russia accuses the current head of the Armenian government of following a pro-Western path and demands that businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who is under investigation in Armenia, be allowed to run.
At the end of May, Russia threatened to halt oil and gas supplies to Armenia due to Yerevan’s closeness to the EU. Rosselkhoznadzor, under various pretexts, banned the import of Armenian products into Russia, specifically flowers, vegetables, strawberries, and mineral water.
According to Reuters and The Insider, in October 2025, the Kremlin established a structure called the Department for Strategic Cooperation and Partnership. This entity would oversee influence operations in Armenia. Influence campaigns involve a network called “Storm-1516”, known for spreading fake news in the West and linked to the Kremlin’s spy services.