Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that as Armenia moves closer to the European Union, it will inevitably face difficulties within the Eurasian Economic Union.
Peskov noted that moving towards the EU is Armenia’s sovereign right, but it should not done at the expense of the financial resources of EAEU member states.
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Armenia has unveiled Chinese CH-4 Rainbow reconnaissance and strike drones for the first time; the purchase of these drones had not previously been officially announced.
A video showing drones was released by the country’s Minister of Defense, Suren Papikyan.
During the parade marking Armenia’s Independence Day, two drones of this type were displayed. They were equipped with AR-1 and AR-2 air-to-surface missiles.
It is known that drones of this type are in service with Algeria, Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
The appearance of such drones in Armenia’s arsenal seems quite unexpected, especially given the country’s current focus on procuring weapons from India, Europe, primarily France, and the United States.
In early February, Armenia received its first American V-BAT reconnaissance drones.
Overall, not much is known about the drone; there are two main versions: the reconnaissance A and the multi-purpose B. It is also unknown which version Armenia received.
According to some sources, the drone’s fuselage is 8.5 meters long, and its wingspan is 18 meters.
Its cruising speed is 330 kilometers per hour, and its maximum speed is up to 435 kilometers per hour.
The drone can carry up to 345 kilograms of equipment and weapons.
The drone’s flight range is between 3,500 and 5,000 kilometers; its communication range is effectively unlimited due to the use of a satellite system, and the ground station provides control at a distance of 150 kilometers.
The armament is quite diverse: AR-1 and AR-2 missiles (weight — 20 kilograms, 5-kilogram armor-piercing warhead, inertial guidance system with a semi-active laser homing head in the terminal phase of flight, maximum range — up to 8 kilometers), and the AKD-10 air-to-surface anti-tank missile.
The arsenal also includes the 90-mm BRM-1 guided missile, FT-7 glide bombs weighing 130 kilograms, FT-9/50 aerial bombs weighing 50 kilograms and FT-10/25 aerial bombs weighing 25 kilograms, as well as high-precision guided munitions GB-7/50 and GB-4/100.
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/armenia-procure-chinese-ch-4-rainbow-drones/
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May 29, 2026
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Russia is reportedly intensifying its covert operations to undermine Armenia’s leader Nikol Pashinyan’s re-election efforts, according to Western intelligence and government officials.
The Kremlin’s strategies include disseminating disinformation and planning to transport Russian-Armenians to influence the election, amidst Armenia’s growing ties with the West and NATO.
Moscow’s favored candidate, Samvel Karapetyan, stands trial over allegations of calling for a government overthrow, while Western countries voice concerns over Russia’s electoral meddling.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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Russia has launched a coordinated covert campaign to prevent Armenia from pivoting toward the West, deploying a voter-transport operation, disinformation networks, and threats against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of parliamentary elections, Reuters reported on May 29.
The investigation, drawing on five Western officials and documentary evidence, identifies the Kremlin’s newly established Directorate for Strategic Cooperation and Partnership as the body overseeing the effort.
Russian authorities calculated the cost at approximately $50 million to transport around 100,000 Russia-based Armenians across the border to cast ballots against Pashinyan, three sources indicated. By mid-May, the Kremlin had issued regional quotas and instructed administrators to report on preparations, those officials added.
Moscow’s preferred candidate, three of the sources noted, is Samvel Karapetyan, a billionaire currently on trial for allegedly calling for the overthrow of the Armenian government. Karapetyan, who is Armenian-Russian, denies the charges.
The disinformation component involves the Social Design Agency (SDA), a Moscow-based PR firm already sanctioned by the US, UK, and EU for its links to Kremlin influence operations.
Reuters reviewed five Russian-language documents that the sources attributed to SDA. One proposed creating a media outlet called Yerevan1, built around the premise that Armenia could prosper only within a close alliance with Russia.
A Kremlin-affiliated bot network known as Storm-1516, previously linked to US election interference efforts, is also reportedly active in the campaign. Russia’s foreign ministry dismissed the allegations, telling reporters that claims of interference in Armenia’s internal affairs were unfounded.
“What Pashinyan is trying to do is a threat to Russia,” Thomas de Waal, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, told Reuters. He warned that diversification of Armenia’s alliances threatened Russia’s long-held monopoly on influence in the country.
Pashinyan has accelerated Armenia’s westward shift since taking office in 2018, reaching a US-brokered peace agreement with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh last August and suspending participation in Moscow’s regional security alliance in 2024. This month, Armenia hosted NATO’s chief at a European leaders’ summit.
US President Donald Trump endorsed Pashinyan’s re-election bid on May 28. Secretary of State Marco Rubio flew to Yerevan this week, signing a minerals deal and an agreement on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a proposed transport corridor through Armenia.
Three Western officials, including a senior US official, described serious and ongoing concerns about Pashinyan’s physical safety. A video circulating online in May showed masked men threatening to kill him; Armenian authorities are investigating the case.
Elements of the US government, including the CIA, have covertly aided Pashinyan’s personal protection in recent years, according to three sources with knowledge of the arrangement.
A recent poll suggested Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party leads with approximately 30% of the vote, against roughly 6% for Karapetyan’s Strong Armenia party in a crowded field.
Russia’s disinformation offensive against Pashinyan predates the current election cycle by months.
As early as March, fabricated social media videos began circulating with claims that a Pashinyan electoral victory would trigger armed conflict with Russia, with some clips falsely imitating reporting from established Western analytical institutions.
The campaign recruited US television actors through the Cameo platform, deploying them to promote manufactured narratives about a secret Pashinyan-France deal aimed at provoking Moscow.
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Cold arctic air currents will enter Armenia, the air temperature will drop by 8-10 degrees, Deputy Director of “Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center” Gagik Surenyan said.
“Throughout the day today and tomorrow until the evening, Armenia will be in the zone of influence of south-western sun-drained warm air currents, as a result of which warm and rainless weather is expected in the entire territory of Armenia. From the late evening hours of May 28, on May 29, 30, Armenia will be in the zone of influence of the cyclone entering from the Black Sea, as a result of which short thunderous rains are expected in the sunny region on those days.”
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Political analyst Beniamin Matevosyan considers it possible that Russia will suspend or increase the gas tariff for Armenia.
“After all, they are the owners of all this and, depending on the positions of the Armenian authorities, they can review economic relations with Armenia, which is happening,” the political analyst said in an interview with Aysor.am.
According to Matevosyan, this is an accepted option in the world: “Look at how Donald Trump is reviewing economic relations with the EU in all areas – from supplies to energy exports, and even to agricultural products. Since the EU is no longer perceived as an ally in the US under this administration, they are being treated accordingly. The same is now happening in our case. Russia is not inventing anything new.”
As for alternative energy sources, the expert noted: “We are currently receiving gas and other energy resources from Iran, but due to production volumes and quality, Iran cannot fully replace Russia. However, Nikol Pashinyan does not need this, because he wants to make Armenia dependent on Azerbaijani energy sources.”
Matevosyan also referred to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that “we will have our own gas,” calling it nonsense. “That does not even stand up to basic calculations. Starting from 2024, Gazprom Armenia will purchase 150 billion drams worth of gas from Russia and distribute it in Armenia, while we will not receive that 150 billion in transit revenues, which would fall under the TRIPP framework. This person is simply lying – he wants us to buy gas from Azerbaijan and become dependent on it in terms of energy.”
On whether Azerbaijani gas would be cheaper than Russian gas, the expert said: “Even if it is cheaper, if you buy it and make yourself dependent on Azerbaijani energy carriers, you are giving Azerbaijan a tool of political pressure. Azerbaijan can say: fine, do you want gas at Russian prices? Then, for example, 300,000 Azerbaijanis must come to Armenia by the end of the year. This is the core problem.”
Matevosyan emphasized that recent statements both from Armenia and Russia are not accidental: “The Russian Federation clearly shows that it will not work with Nikol Pashinyan as the leader of the Republic of Armenia. Whether it will work with Armenia depends on the outcome of elections. As for Armenian statements, they have returned to their basic logic. Just recall what Nikol Pashinyan said about the people of Artsakh and Russia in 2008. He also wrote an article in the early 2000s titled ‘We and Our Interests,’ where he argued against a corridor through Armenia that would benefit the US and Turkey. Now, in order to obtain that corridor, Artsakh had to be surrendered and Russia ‘expelled’ from the region – which he is now implementing step by step.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Russia would unilaterally suspend or cancel its agreements with Armenia on gas, oil products, and rough diamonds if Armenia’s EU integration process continues.
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If Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says that Armenia will get rich without Russia, then let him try. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with IS “Vesti”.
“I cannot comment on the statements of the Armenian leader. If he thinks that she will get richer, let her provide,” Lavrov said.
Earlier, at a meeting with voters in the city of Garni, Pashinyan said that Armenia is not afraid of high prices for raw materials in case of deterioration of ties with Russia, as the country “plans to get rich.”
As EADaily reported, according to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, Russia has already warned Armenia about the possible termination of the agreement on the supply of gas, petroleum products and diamonds if Yerevan joins the EU.
More details: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2026/05/28/lavrov-if-pashinyan-thinks-that-armenia-will-get-rich-without-russia-let-him-try
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Russia will suspend imports of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs from Armenia, Russia’s agricultural safety watchdog said on Thursday (28 May).
“Rosselkhoznadzor is introducing temporary restrictions starting May 30, 2026, on the import of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, fresh herbs and strawberries originating in or shipped from Armenia,” the agency said in a statement.
The move is likely political in nature, ahead of the 7 June parliamentary elections in Armenia, even though Rosselkhoznadzor cited safety concerns.
Russia has recently imposed trade restrictions against Armenia, and earlier this week threatened to nullify a 2013 bilateral agreement guaranteeing Armenia duty-free natural gas and oil if it continues to pursue closer relations with the European Union.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan argued that eventual EU membership would bring in far more money than Armenia would lose from an increase in Russian gas prices.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Armenia that European integration carries the same risks faced by Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022. Putin is expected to address Armenia’s EU bid during the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union summit in Kazakhstan on Friday, according to The Moscow Times.
Source: commonspace.eu with The Moscow Times
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