Armenian FM indicates hybrid attacks partly traced to Russia

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Monday that the ongoing hybrid attacks targeting Armenia can be partly traced back to Russia.

Speaking at a press briefing in parliament, Mirzoyan was asked to elaborate on the repeated warnings by the Armenian government that the country is facing hybrid warfare.

“Let us first understand what is meant by a hybrid attack. Hybrid actions are being carried out against Armenia. This may include the spread of disinformation, cyberattacks, and so on. Are such attacks being carried out against Armenia? Undoubtedly, they are—who could argue otherwise? Some of them are carried out through mass media. Some of what is done through you is deliberate, and some happens unintentionally—you receive information, see a need to disseminate it, and act,” Mirzoyan said.

Asked to comment on various officials’ statements claiming that the hybrid attacks are carried out from Russia, the foreign minister said: “You mentioned a specific country. Can some of the threads of this false information be traced to a particular country? Yes, they can. And do not imagine a centralized office or a top authority from which everything is organized and managed. Can you see members of the Russian Federation’s parliament making statements against Armenia’s sovereignty and its legitimately elected government—statements they have no right to make, as this constitutes interference in internal affairs? Can you see officials of various ranks involved in such actions? Can you see such behavior coming from expert circles? You certainly can.”

Mirzoyan also commented on EU plans to send a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to Armenia to help counter threats ahead of the country’s June 7 elections, dismissing criticism.

“This is a fairly unfamiliar phenomenon for us, while at the same time there is accumulated experience on this issue in some parts of the world—so why not ask for [help]? I don’t understand. There are circles that, the moment they hear the word ‘European Union,’ get startled and think someone has come to swallow us up, to cut us off from some kind of centuries-old friendly ties. As soon as they hear ‘EU,’ their knees start to tremble. If that group came from Madagascar, I am sure it would not provoke such a reaction.

Now I want to disappoint you and make a revelation: under all governments of Armenia, the country has sought assistance—including from the EU—on various aspects of electoral processes,” said the Armenian foreign minister.

Asked why the Armenian authorities do not also seek support from Russia on this issue, Mirzoyan said that if Russia has its own experience in countering hybrid attacks and is willing to share it, the Armenian authorities are not opposed.

“Let them share it, and we will see what experience they have,” the minister concluded.