RF MFA responds to so-called revelations by The Insider on Armenia

ArmInfo. The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the so-called revelations by the Latvian publication The Insider, emphasizing that the arguments presented in the "investigation" are nothing more than blatant lies and an orchestrated provocation aimed at exerting psychological pressure on Russian diplomats and intimidating the Armenian public ahead of the  elections.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement emphasized that "the foreign  agent publication The Insider, which has long been a tool of media  manipulation and false anti-Russian propaganda, continues to generate  fakes, fulfilling the corresponding orders of its foreign handlers."  The Russian Foreign Ministry added that an example of such subversive  work by Western-controlled media outlets was a recent publication  (dated May 19, 2026) under the headline "Grab by the Beard." Which  FSB, GRU, and SVR agents were sent to Armenia to fight Pashinyan?  This publication recounts the now-trendy "spy" tales about ubiquitous  "Kremlin agents." 

"The authors of this fake, who apparently so carefully studied the  biographical details of the diplomatic mission's employees, didn't  even bother to double-check the information, making numerous factual  errors and inaccuracies, which only confirms the level of  'professionalism' and banal literacy of the authors. To support their  arguments, they publish hardly credible 'screenshots' and 'extracts'  from some documents, and randomly cite certain episodes from the  lives of diplomats, which are considered 'tales' in their  professional activities, with references to (!) 'anonymous' sources  and foreign media outlets that have long been tainted by outright  disinformation and anti-Russian bias. 

At the same time, The Insider is unable to provide a single  convincing fact to support the accusations of 'coordinating the  campaign against Pashinyan' or 'manipulating election results,'" the  Russian Foreign Ministry stated. Moscow added that a familiar pattern  is being observed once again: the effective work of Russian agencies  to develop and strengthen allied relations between Russia and  Armenia, and the ties between our fraternal peoples, is being  declared a "special services operation." The Russian Foreign Ministry  added that completely routine diplomatic activities-maintaining  contacts, hosting cultural events, analytical work, promoting  humanitarian projects-are all being presented as if they were the  "hand of the Kremlin." 

"Equally concerning is the policy of discrediting the Armenian  opposition and public figures who criticize the republic's  leadership. Any contacts between such figures and the Russian side,  or their participation in international forums and expert events, are  automatically declared to be 'work under the supervision of Russian  intelligence services,' and the opposition activity itself is  considered part of a 'Kremlin operation.' In other words, they are  trying to foist upon Armenian society the simplistic notion that  'government critics are equal to Moscow agents.' In essence, it is  not Russia's diplomatic activity, which is conducted in full  compliance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,  that directly interferes in Armenia's election discourse, but the  fact that The Insider's latest piece of information is fueling  hysteria in the Armenian and international information space," Moscow  added.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its  conviction that, against the backdrop of such "investigations," it  becomes clear where the European funds allocated under the specious  pretext of "supporting democracy" and "facilitating fair elections"  in Armenia are actually going. Moscow noted that, judging by the  content and focus of publications like The Insider's, a significant  portion of these funds ends up in the pockets of biased media outlets  and organizations engaged in promoting an anti-Russian agenda rather  than genuinely strengthening democratic institutions. 

"Apparently, the fake news spread in the Armenian media is the result  of consistent anti- Russian subversive work by Brussels-based  propagandists from the so-called rapid response group, which had  recently landed in the Republic with the aim of discrediting our  country and damaging Russian-Armenian relations under the pretext of  allegedly combating the Kremlin's 'hybrid threats.' This is a clear  projection of the 'Moldovan scenario' onto Armenia-creating a  hostile, toxic atmosphere around Russia and purging the local  information space of anything related to our country. We have  repeatedly warned our Armenian partners of the consequences and  risks. One of these is the direct loss of sovereignty," the Russian  Foreign Ministry added. Moscow believes that what is happening in  Armenia's information space today, including such fake news, largely  follows established patterns of demonizing any forces advocating for  maintaining and developing cooperation with Russia. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that The Insider has been  designated a foreign agent and an undesirable organization in Russia  for its subversive nature and threat to the foundations of the  constitutional order. "In this context, we view the latest  'sensation' about 'Russian agents in Yerevan' as yet another episode  in the campaign to oust Russia from the South Caucasus and impose  external guidelines on Armenia contrary to its own national  interests. It was all the more surprising to hear immediate  assessments from certain members of Armenia's top leadership, who  referred to the publication as an 'influential Russian resource' and  categorically embraced the anti-Russian narrative being promoted as  the 'ultimate truth.' We are confident that the Armenian people will  not be deceived," the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.