Member of Parliament from the ruling Civil Contract faction, Lilit Minasyan, said on Friday that hybrid interference against Armenia manifests across media platforms in various countries, mainly Russian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani.

Speaking at a press briefing and responding to opposition claims that the authorities avoid specifically naming the source country of hybrid interference, Minasyan stressed the need to first clearly understand the nature of hybrid attacks.

“I urge our opposition members to first understand what a hybrid attack is, and only then make assertions,” she said.

According to the lawmaker, hybrid attacks involve external interference that can be carried out in various ways, including in the information space.

“From the perspective of external interference, different countries are involved, and we see its manifestations very clearly and explicitly in Russian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani media,” Minasyan said.

She stressed that such interference often takes the form of spreading fake news, including about the Prime Minister and the authorities.

“These publications appear on various anonymous websites or on modified versions of well-known sites in order to mislead citizens,” the lawmaker said.

According to Minasyan, the authorities are trying to respond quickly to such publications and refute false information before it spreads widely.

She also called on media outlets to follow official rebuttals and support efforts to combat disinformation.

“We are working proactively to refute such information, and I urge media outlets to follow these rebuttals and disseminate them,” she noted.

In January this year, Armenia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned that the country faces mounting hybrid threats aimed at sabotage.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said earlier this week that the ongoing hybrid attacks targeting Armenia can be partly traced back to Russia.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas reaffirmed that the EU will send a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to Armenia to help counter threats ahead of the country’s June 7 elections.