The Kremlin-linked Matryoshka disinformation network has reportedly launched a new smear campaign targeting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the lead-up to Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2026, according to The Insider, citing the Bot Blocker Project.
The campaign uses coordinated bot activity on platforms such as X and BlueSky. On these platforms, videos circulate posing as Western media content. These videos accuse Pashinyan of eroding Armenia’s cultural identity and promoting foreign liberal values.
They also allege that his government is advancing a reckless initiative to establish a so-called «Fourth Republic.» This political proposal includes drafting a new constitution by referendum, formally withdrawing Armenia’s territorial claims to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), and advancing the country’s path toward European Union membership.
These accounts have also shared AI-manipulated images. The images depict Pashinyan in degrading scenarios with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump. For example, one doctored image shows Erdoğan forcing Pashinyan to kneel. Another shows the Armenian leader picking up litter outside the White House.
