Russian Ambassador: Despite absence of requests from Armenia, Russia  is ready to share its experience in combating hybrid threats

ArmInfo.  To date, no specific requests have been received through the Russian Embassy, but the Russian side is ready to share its experience, given the existence of  the necessary mechanisms both bilaterally and within the Commonwealth  of Independent States (CIS).

For example, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin, in an  interview with 24News, commented on statements about "possible hybrid  threats emanating from Russia" ahead of the parliamentary elections  in Armenia scheduled for June 7, 2026. In this regard, he noted that  this term has become fashionable today and, if he is not mistaken,  the concept of hybrid warfare was developed by Western political  scientists.  "What exactly is meant by this term is not always easy  to define. Hybrid warfare can encompass many aspects. For example,  humanitarian ties, youth exchanges, and educational cooperation can  also be characterized as hybrid threats. It is necessary to more  clearly define what we are talking about," the ambassador noted.

Kopirkin noted that in the context of statements about "possible  interference in internal affairs," Russian President Vladimir Putin  also conveyed an important message. The diplomat recalled that the  Russian president emphasized that the tense situation ahead of the  parliamentary elections in Armenia should not affect the prospects  for bilateral relations between the countries. "From the Russian  side, this is the main issue and interest. Regarding hybrid threats,  the West is actively discussing this topic, especially in the context  of the elections in Moldova. I wouldn't speculate on hypothetical  scenarios regarding Armenia, but we all remember the events in  Moldova. I don't have detailed information about that situation, but  it's clear there was an imbalance in the number of polling stations  between Russia and Europe. It's also worth noting the  disqualification of the main opposition force from the elections and  the criminal case against the leader of Gagauzia (Eugeniu Gutsul -  ed.), who is currently in prison. All of this occurred against the  backdrop of European discussions about a Russian hybrid threat," the  ambassador recalled.

According to him, Russia has been facing this problem for many years.  He emphasized that currently, it's not just hybrid threats within the  country, but also a de facto war using terrorist methods, including  the recruitment of minors to commit terrorist attacks. "We understand  that this is happening on the Ukrainian side, and we know whose  support it receives. Russia understands the cost of information leaks  and external pressure, including unprecedented sanctions-all of this  is related to the same problem," the ambassador noted.

In this context, the ambassador also addressed an interview with  Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, who mentioned the  transformation of the European Union into a military-political bloc  with a clearly anti- Russian agenda. He stated that these imperatives  play a key role for the European Union and determine specific  actions. "In this context, we always emphasize at all levels that we  respect Armenia's foreign policy choices. We are completely  comfortable and relaxed with the diversification of foreign  relations, as our president has also stated. We support Armenia's  desire to maximize its relations with all foreign policy partners,  third countries, and organizations. However, if someone's agenda is  not so much for something as against someone, this raises certain  concerns. In this case, we must protect our relations," Kopyrkin  concluded.

As a reminder, Radio Liberty previously reported that it had obtained  a letter from Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan to Brussels,  in which he "requested that a rapid response team be sent 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 the  Moldovan authorities identify and counter disinformation emanating  from Russia on social media." It should be added that the EU's top  diplomat, Kaja Kallas, had previously announced the allocation of ?15  million to Armenia to "counter Russian propaganda."

On March 4, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova  expressed her readiness to send a similar European mission to Armenia  if Yerevan so desired.