RA FIS reports pressure on Armenian citizens in other countries over  upcoming electoral processes

ArmInfo. The Armenian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claims that Armenian citizens in other  countries are being pressured and interfered with in the upcoming electoral processes scheduled for June of this year.

In a statement published by Armenpress, the SVR noted that it has  received intelligence information indicating that, acting on behalf  of the intelligence services of their host countries, various actors  are attempting to pressure individuals of Armenian descent and  citizens of the Republic of Armenia engaged in economic activity in  that country.  The SVR emphasizes that these actors are thus pushing  the latter to take actions in support of certain political forces  that have applied to participate in the upcoming parliamentary  elections in Armenia. These actions include, but are not limited to,  financial and organizational actions by the aforementioned  businessmen against these political forces. The SVR did not specify  which countries or political forces were involved.

As a reminder, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Armenian service  previously reported that they had obtained a letter from Armenian  Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to Brussels, in which he "requested  the dispatch of a rapid response team to Yerevan to counter Kremlin  disinformation and Russian interference in the parliamentary  elections in Armenia." In this regard, it was recalled that the EU  sent a similar team of approximately 20 people to Chisinau during  last year's parliamentary elections "to help Moldovan authorities  identify and counter disinformation emanating from Russia on social  media." It should be added that EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas  previously announced the allocation of ?15 million to Armenia to  "counter Russian propaganda" in the run-up to the upcoming  parliamentary elections.