UK Sanctions 85 Russians Over Kremlin Plot to Hijack Armenia’s Elections

Britain has sanctioned 85 Russian individuals and entities for running disinformation campaigns targeting Armenia’s upcoming elections – and a leaked document obtained by a Swedish outlet reveals the operation in detail.

The UK Foreign Office announced the measures on May 11, describing them as “some of the toughest action to date” against Russian hostile activity. At the centre of the sanctions package is the Social Design Agency, a Kremlin-funded operation whose 49 designated employees – writers, translators, and video producers – have been running influence campaigns designed to shift Armenia’s political direction ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7.

“The SDA has been tasked and funded by the Kremlin to deliver a series of interference operations designed to undermine democracy and weaken support for Ukraine,” the Foreign Office said. British officials added that SDA campaigns were “almost certainly tasked by the Russian Presidential Administration” and included efforts to establish pro-Moscow organisations in Armenia and install pro-Russian figures in government.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper framed the package in broader terms: “The UK will not stand idly by as Putin seeks to sow lies and pro-Kremlin narratives abroad. Today’s sanctions are a strong step in exposing and disrupting the depths Russia is willing to go to interfere with and undermine democracy.”

A second entity under the new sanctions, ANO Dialog, is accused of coordinating directly with Russian intelligence services on interference plans targeting Armenian domestic politics. According to the Foreign Office, ANO Dialog operates not as an independent actor but as an instrument of the Russian presidential administration — tasked, funded, and directed from the top.

The Leaked Document

The sanctions did not emerge in a vacuum. Weeks before London acted, independent Swedish outlet Blankspot published a leaked Russian document it said it had verified as authentic, outlining a detailed strategy for the pre-election period in Armenia. OC Media reported on the document’s contents, providing the clearest public picture of what the UK sanctions are targeting.

The document, titled “Programme for work in the anti-Pashinyan direction for 2026”, sets out the campaign’s core objective: to “frame the election as a vote of confidence against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan personally.” It also aims to prevent Pashinyan’s political image from being “modernised” before the vote.

The operational targets are specific. The document proposes tripling pro-Russian social media output from one million views per day to three million, and expanding the number of pro-Russian opinion-makers active in Armenia from 15 to 40 individuals. Crucially, it recommends placing “the most prominent among them in electable positions within opposition parties ahead of the elections”.

The plan also describes false flag campaigns on social media, targeted comment campaigns against the ruling Civil Contract party, and the establishment of “stringer groups” to produce exclusive content during the campaign period, which officially began on May 8.

Blankspot said the document originated from materials obtained after “a person operating within the Russian intelligence services was hacked by a third party before March 2026” and that the individual’s known activities in Armenia mirror the document’s contents.

The Church on the Military Base

The disinformation network is not the only channel Russia is using. An investigation by the Union of Informed Citizens documents a parallel influence operation running through the Russian Orthodox Church presence at Russia’s 102nd military base in Gyumri, Armenia.

Priest Timofey Kazaryan, formally listed as an assistant to the base commander for work with religious servicemen, maintains close contact with the clergy of the Shirak Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. According to the investigation, his activities extend well beyond pastoral duties — sources describe near-daily propaganda work conducted within the base’s Orthodox churches, aimed at undermining Armenian statehood.

The investigation also documents electoral interference directly from the base. Armenian citizens employed there report being pressured to vote for specific political parties, with threats of job loss for non-compliance. They say the Russian command also requires them to pressure family members and friends to vote the same way — actions that would violate multiple articles of Armenia’s Electoral and Criminal Codes.

The Moscow House in Yerevan, a Russian government-funded cultural body widely regarded as an influence tool, has publicly supported Kazaryan’s activities, including making a donation to the base’s churches in July 2023.

Why Moscow Is Alarmed

The scale of Russia’s intervention reflects the scale of what it stands to lose. Armenia’s relationship with Moscow has deteriorated sharply since 2023, when Azerbaijan reclaimed the Karabakh region while Russian peacekeepers stood by. Pashinyan’s government has since frozen Armenia’s participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation; joined the International Criminal Court — which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin; and, in 2025, passed a law formally declaring Armenia’s intention to seek EU membership.

On May 4, Yerevan hosted the European Political Community summit — the first such gathering in the South Caucasus — bringing more than 40 European leaders to a capital Moscow has long regarded as its own sphere. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was received by Pashinyan in what Kyiv described as the first visit by a Ukrainian head of state to Armenia in 24 years. Reuters reported that Moscow summoned Armenia’s ambassador in response.

On May 5, Armenia hosted its first bilateral summit with the European Union. The Associated Press reported that EU investment commitments under the Global Gateway strategy are expected to reach €2.5 billion, covering transport, energy, and digital connectivity.

Putin’s reaction to the summit season was pointed. He urged Armenia to hold a referendum to choose between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union, warning of “certain circumstances” if it chose Europe – and making the parallel explicit: “You know what happened in Ukraine,” he said, invoking the events that preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The UK sanctions, the leaked document, and the Gyumri base investigation together map a three-track Russian operation: a funded disinformation network, a covert influence campaign through religious and cultural channels, and direct electoral pressure on Armenian workers at a Russian military facility. The June 7 elections will show how much of it has worked.