The Insider has published an extensive report on Russia’s possible influence over Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 June, the coordination of work on Armenia within the Russian presidential administration, and the officials sent to Yerevan to oversee the process.

The Insider opens its article with the following introduction:

“After recent failures in Moldova and Hungary, the Kremlin has redirected its resources towards Armenia, where parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 7. The Kremlin hopes to prevent incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party from winning after he pursued closer ties with the European Union and the United States. The Insider has identified who oversees the Armenia portfolio in the Russian presidential administration, which officers from the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the GRU, and the FSB were sent to Yerevan, and how Armenian opposition candidates are linked to Russia’s intelligence agencies.”

The outlet reports that the information campaign against Pashinyan is coordinated by the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation for Strategic Partnership and Cooperation (USSP), established in 2025, which is headed by Vadim Titov, a former Rosatom official who is closely linked to Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration.

“Titov’s start in the post was not especially successful: ahead of elections in Hungary, he flew to Budapest with his aide, Yegor Kvyatkovsky, also a Rosatom official, but the campaign ended in a crushing defeat for Viktor Orban. Now, however, Titov has a new chance to prove himself.

The direct handlers for Armenia from the Russian presidential administration are Valery Chernyshov, head of the USSP department for developing interregional and sociocultural ties, and his deputy, Dmitry Avanesov. Both come from the security services. After serving at a Russian military base in Abkhazia, in 2013 Chernyshov was invited to join military intelligence. He taught the basics of sabotage work at advanced training courses for GRU officers in the village of Zagoryansky in the Shchyolkovo District, at Military Unit 36360. In the presidential administration, he first oversaw Georgia before being reassigned to Armenia,” the report states.

Dmitry Avanesov graduated from the Peter the Great Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces and holds the rank of colonel. In 2012, he underwent training at the FSB’s Moscow Institute of New Information Technologies under a programme on “systems for assessing, analysing and forecasting the state of national security.” Both men have visited Yerevan on multiple occasions, where they held meetings with local Kremlin allies.

“In the Russian government, the Armenia portfolio is handled by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, who on a near weekly basis warns Yerevan of major economic problems if it continues moving closer to the EU and the U.S,” The Insider notes.

Continuing its report, the outlet notes that among the most active groups in Armenia are the Gorchakov Fund for Public Diplomacy Support, which promotes narratives aligned with the Kremlin; the National Research Institute for Communications Development, headed by Vladislav Gasumyanov, a career officer of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service; and the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, described as an analytical centre linked to Russian intelligence. It also points to “numerous pseudo-political analysts, experts, councils, and organisations financed by the Kremlin.”

“Long-familiar figures, including senators Konstantin Kosachev and Konstantin Zatulin, are in the front ranks of the propaganda campaign against Pashinyan. Zatulin heads the international Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club, which boasts among its members the billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, owner of the commercial real estate giant Tashir Group,” The Insider writes, adding that it has also detailed the ties to Russia of two opposition figures in Armenia’s political arena – Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” alliance, and Gagik Tsarukyan, chairman of the “Prosperous Armenia” party.

The Armenian Ambassador to Jordan, Arsen Arakelyan, has presented his credentials to King Abdullah II.

According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, King Abdullah II of Jordan conveyed warm greetings to the Armenian leadership and wished Ambassador Arakelyan success in his tenure.

The Ambassador, expressing gratitude for the good wishes, conveyed the Armenian government’s readiness to make all efforts to further develop and strengthen friendly relations between Armenia and Jordan, which are built on historically strong ties.

Arakelyan is Armenia’s Ambassador to Kuwait and concurrently covers Jordan from his post in Kuwait City.

Armenia and France have agreed to strengthen cooperation in emergency response and disaster risk management after a meeting between senior Armenian rescue officials and French representatives, which ended with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation. 

The memorandum was signed by Armenian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Director of the Rescue Service Aram Ghazaryan and Bernard Jannin, President of ASPEBE, a French organization specializing in civil protection and emergency response.

During the meeting with the Ambassador of France to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies, and Bernard Jannin, Ghazaryan praised the effective cooperation between Armenia and France in emergency response and disaster risk management.

Referring to sectoral reforms, he expressed the belief that France’s civil protection experience could significantly contribute to the development of the Rescue Service’s capabilities.

Speaking about joint programs, the head of the Rescue Service highlighted the “Disaster Management” course, the “HOPE-2023” field exercise, as well as training sessions on crisis management and response conducted after the 2024 floods.

Also emphasized were the training sessions for 79 volunteer firefighters carried out within the framework of the “VOLFIRE” program with the participation of French instructors.

Referring to the history of Armenian–French cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Decottignies noted that the foundations of collaboration in the field of emergency response were laid during the 1988 Spitak earthquake, when around 500 French rescuers arrived in Armenia to take part in search and rescue operations.

According to him, this cooperation has since evolved into a stable and effective partnership.

The MoU envisages cooperation in the fields of emergency prevention, disaster response, and disaster risk management.

UN Department of Global Communications press release 

Household food security across Armenia is on an upward trajectory, according to the latest 2026 Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment (FSVA) report released today by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). 

The nationwide study reveals encouraging improvements while identifying critical areas where targeted efforts can help consolidate progress.

The FSVA was conducted among 4,210 households in Yerevan and all the regions of Armenia, to comprehensively analyze the food security situation among local population and displaced Armenians from Karabakh, its drivers and tendencies, as well as to identify food insecure populations and their profiles.

Key findings demonstrate positive economic and social shifts since the previous 2024 assessment. Food-secure households rose sharply from 26% to 33%, while the number of food-insecure households dropped from 20% down to 18%. Marginally food secure households also recorded an improvement as more families achieved long-term stability. Additionally, food insecurity among female-headed households fell from 23% to 21%, signaling vital headway for vulnerable demographics and underscoring the measurable impact of ongoing efforts to stabilize and reduce food insecurity. “These findings show that Armenia is moving in a positive direction, with stronger household food security and encouraging signs of recovery,” said Leila Meliouh, WFP Representative and Country Director in Armenia. “At the same time, the FSVA provides important evidence to help partners focus work where it can have the greatest impact – especially for households that are still building resilience to economic pressures and future shocks.”

Despite overall progress, approximately 550,000 people in Armenia remain food insecure, and the marginally food secure population remains at risk of becoming food insecure in the event of shocks.  

The 2026 FSVA shows a powerful trend toward long-term socio-economic integration among displaced populations. 83% of displaced respondents plan to remain in Armenia, a steep climb from 63% in 2024. In the meantime, 76% of displaced households now have at least one employed member, up from 47.6% two years ago.

These figures underscore a promising transition toward self-reliance; while signaling that continued social protection and economic support is essential to secure permanent household stability. Continuous, gender-sensitive monitoring remains a top priority to map how female-led households access steady income, social safety nets, and food.

Since 2020, WFP’s assessments have served as the data foundation for the Government of Armenia, international donors, and development partners. In a major step towards capacity transfer and national ownership, WFP is actively deepening its alliance with the Statistical Committee of Armenia to fully transfer FSVA tools, methodologies, and technical expertise to national institutions by 2028.

The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 19 May, USD exchange rate up by 0.17 drams to 368.21 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.06 drams to 427.9 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.0805 drams to 5.1541 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.29 drams to 493.59 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 467 drams to 54046 drams. 

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a meeting on Tuesday with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.

“I welcomed the delegation’s visit to Armenia and highlighted the high level of relations between the two countries and the active political dialogue,” Secretary Grigoryan said in a statement on social media.

“We discussed a number of issues on the broad agenda of Armenia–Lithuania bilateral relations and outlined ways for further cooperation. We also addressed issues pertaining to the agenda of the Armenia–EU strategic partnership, as well as the ongoing dialogue on visa liberalization between Armenia and the EU, noting with satisfaction the first progress report on the implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP) conveyed to Armenia by the European Commission. The report highly assessed the clear political commitment of the Armenian authorities to carry out the necessary reforms aimed at visa liberalization with the EU,” he added.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys arrived in Armenia on an official visit on May 19.

He met with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan earlier in the day.

Ara Fidanyan, Armenia’s liaison officer at Europol, recently took part in the first joint workshop for law enforcement agencies and private sector representatives dedicated to weapons and ammunition tracing, organised in Prague under the European Union’s EMPACT programme – the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats.

Representatives of law enforcement bodies from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Malta, Kosovo and Switzerland also attended the event.

According to Armenia’s Interior Ministry, participants discussed the need to trace civilian ammunition in order to help solve firearm-related crimes and prevent the illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition.

The workshop also examined technical possibilities for marking ammunition to ensure traceability.

As part of the programme, participants visited the globally recognised arms manufacturers Sellier & Bellot and Česká zbrojovka (CZ) to familiarise themselves with production processes and ammunition marking technologies used at the facilities.

Moldova is ready to open negotiations with the EU on all clusters. President Maia Sandu has made statements to this effect. The head of state today is paying a visit to the European Parliament.

“We want to continue moving forward. Moldova is ready to open negotiations for all clusters. Both the European Commission and the Council have confirmed that we are ready. Step by step, Moldova is fulfilling its commitments. A reliable, merit-based accession process requires effort and commitment on behalf of both sides,” Maia Sandu stressed.

At the same time, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who welcomed Maia Sandu at the institution’s headquarters in Strasbourg, reconfirmed the institution’s support for Moldova’s European path.

“My message today, stated in the clearest possible terms, is that the European Parliament will continue to support Moldova in every way,” the official said.

President Maia Sandu today is paying a visit to the European Parliament. During this visit, the head of state will have meetings with the political groups of the European legislature, in order to discuss the progress made by Moldova and the next steps on its path of accession to the European Union.

The Russian media outlet The Insider has published an extensive article regarding Russia’s possible influence ahead of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, while also touching on Samvel Karapetyan, leader of the “Strong Armenia” alliance, and Gagik Tsarukyan, chairman of the Prosperous Armenia party.

According to The Insider’s publication, Karapetyan’s passport file listed the “FSB information center” as his workplace.

”In 1999, Karapetyan applied for a foreign passport in Kaluga. According to leaked offline databases, his passport file included an Interior Ministry notation under “place of work”: “IC FSB.” This note means that if a citizen is to be checked, the FSB must be contacted first. An Interior Ministry operative told The Insider that these markings are usually reserved for foreigners working under FSB supervision or for confidential informants,” reads the publication.

The publication noted that Karapetyan is currently under arrest on charges of money laundering and publicly calling for the seizure of power.

At the same time, it noted that he publicly defended Catholicos Karekin II following Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements.

In June 2025, Prime Minister Pashinyan demanded the resignation of Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, after rumors intensified that the cleric allegedly had a child, which would violate his vow of celibacy.

The Insider also referred to Gagik Tsarukyan in the article, calling him “another Kremlin ally.”

The magazine writes that Tsarukyan accumulated a fortune in Armenia through his activities in the dairy and brandy production sectors, while in Russia he is among the founders of three companies — Tikhivz, Zh Invest, and Elit Stroy — which build luxury housing in the Moscow region.

According to the article, in February 2019, Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia party signed a cooperation protocol with United Russia.

The article also notes that leaked materials from the now-disbanded divisions of the Russian presidential administration contained a copy of Tsarukyan’s passport and financial documents from his 2017 election campaign.

”Leaks from the now-disbanded Directorate for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries included a copy of Tsarukyan’s passport and a financial estimate for his 2017 election campaign,” it reads.