CIVILNET

A new brand of journalism about Armenia & the Caucasus.
Լրատվության նոր տեսակ` ոչ միայն ԻՆՉ, այլ նաև ԻՆՉՈՒ:

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[Paul Vartan @vartan84]

Fireworks at the @CivilNetTV parliamentary debate. Six of us top parties have representatives there- Kocharyan's rep and Suren Surenyants from Prosperous are in particularly screaming at QP's Arsen Torosyan. They back it up saying this is how Nikol acts.
https://t.co/2pVX18Totj

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

#DailyArmenia
📍Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that the government will introduce support programs for businesses affected by Russia’s extensive bans on Armenian imports.
https://t.co/2EDSdWn6S7

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Ahead of Armenia's June 7 parliamentary election, several little-known polling organizations have emerged, publishing data that critics say is intended to shape public opinion. CivilNet examined these groups, their alleged links to Russia, and international efforts to counter similar practices.

The FOCUS center and pro-Russian narratives

One of the most prominent organizations is the Free Alliance of Euro-Asian Sociologists, known as FOCUS. The group has no official website, address, or phone number, and conducts its activities through a Telegram channel.

FOCUS publishes polling data that is then widely circulated by pro-Russian media outlets in Armenia, including Voice of Armenia and Arminfo, as well as a network of Telegram channels.

Its surveys consistently promote three themes:

Support for Armenia's continued alignment with Russia, including claims that 74% of Armenians favor the Eurasian Economic Union over closer ties with the European Union.

Higher ratings for specific pro-Russian political figures and opposition leaders, including Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan and Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who led anti-government protests in 2024.

A sharp decline in support for the current government and criticism of European integration, often using informal or derogatory language. In one example, supporters of closer ties with the West were described as "lovers of lace panties."

The organization says it operates on a voluntary basis. However, experts note that conducting surveys with samples of 1,200 to 1,600 respondents over short periods requires significant financial resources and call-center infrastructure, raising questions about how such research is funded.

Commercial polling and commissioned surveys
Another trend has been the emergence of local research centers conducting private surveys for political clients.

One example is Empirica, a polling center owned by a sociology professor at Yerevan State University. The company does not publish its findings publicly, instead providing them directly to clients.

Read more on https://t.co/c15YwXERpW

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Where does the 2026 Armenian election stand days before the vote?

[UNFPA in Armenia @UNFPAArmenia]

How can we overcome barriers in the #LabourMarket for women?
@YSU_official's Center for Demographic Research & Education is analyzing data & suggesting solutions.
Interview with center head Tigran Gasparyan on @CivilNetTV 👉 https://t.co/DNJld3PXhf

@UKinArmenia

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

#DailyArmenia
📍Pashinyan & Putin amid escalating tensions over Moscow’s recent export restrictions.
📍Gegham Ohanyan has launched a sit-in protest in central Yerevan demanding the release of jailed Artsakh activist Artur Osipyan.
https://t.co/X98lFH1s41

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

#BusinessWeekArmenia
📍Armenia & US signed framework agreement to cooperate on critical minerals.
📍Russia warned Armenia that turning West threaten the continued supply of cheap natural gas from Moscow.
https://t.co/mVAZ2A9gvi

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Who’s running in Armenia’s June 7 elections? CivilNet breaks down the 19 parties in the race, their backgrounds and their platforms.
https://t.co/0lZCLhC2f7

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

#DailyArmenia
📍 Armenia celebrated Republic Day on Wednesday with a military parade in central Yerevan, the first such display in a decade. Officials formally presented the event as a “report to the public" to display military capabilities.
https://t.co/bGwrV18V5v

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Independent journalists from Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia met in Yerevan as part of the Seizing Synergies project by n-ost. The initiative focuses on cross-border collaboration to strengthen reporting in an era of growing disinformation.
https://t.co/pxoOeBUjK2

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Journalists in Yerevan to collaborate on cross-border Seizing Synergies project

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

#DailyArmenia
📍Russia has warned it would suspend key energy supplies to Armenia if Yerevan continues pursuing membership in the European Union.
https://t.co/q8Hppg8zde

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) is set to consider a request by the opposition Bright Armenia party to revoke the observer status of independent election observer Daniel Ioannisyan, amid growing disputes over his public comments during the parliamentary election campaign.

According to reporting by Radio Free Europe’s Armenian service, the complaint, submitted by Bright Armenia leader Edmon Marukyan, argues that Ioannisyan has compromised his impartiality by engaging in political campaigning against opposition forces. Marukyan contends that the observer has publicly promoted unverified allegations and is no longer able to perform his role as a neutral election monitor.

The dispute stems from comments made by Daniel Ioannisyan, who recently described Marukyan as a Russian agent, citing claims published by the Russian-language website Chronicle of the Caucasus (Хроника Кавказа). The publication alleged that several Armenian political parties participating in the June 7 parliamentary elections, including Bright Armenia, have ties with the Kremlin.

Those allegations were later challenged by Armenian outlet Factor TV, which reported that the documents cited by the website lacked supporting evidence and that the publication’s purported authors could not be verified as real individuals.

“As it becomes increasingly clear that we will be represented in parliament, they have begun this smear campaign,” Marukyan said.

Ioannisyan has also publicly raised questions about Arman Tatoyan, the prime ministerial candidate of the Wings of Unity alliance, citing information published by the investigative outlet Dossier Center. Tatoyan has rejected the allegations and said he is prepared to disclose his party’s donors if the ruling Civil Contract party publishes its own donor list.

“False information about us has been circulated without anyone seeking our comment or verifying the facts,” Tatoyan said.

Read more on https://t.co/c15YwXERpW

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Yerevan shows off equipment at #RepublicDay military parade

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Columnist @IgnatiusPost joined @molon_labe97 to reflect on his friend @RubenVardanyan_ on his third birthday spent in a Baku prison. They discuss both his work with @AuroraPrize_ and what led him to risk everything to stand with the people of Artsakh.
https://t.co/reXY3Iq904

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

#DailyArmenia
📍Armenia and US have initialed a framework agreement on strategic cooperation concerning the “Trump Route” while also signing a rare earths and minerals deal.
📍Poll: 61% of Armenians believe the country is heading in the right direction.
https://t.co/6ZhdoXJpXe

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Russia has warned it would suspend key energy supplies to Armenia if Yerevan continues pursuing membership in the European Union.

“If Armenia continues its EU accession process, Russia will suspend or unilaterally denounce the agreement on gas, oil and diamonds supplies with that country,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the state news agency RIA on Wednesday.

Russia has stepped up pressure on Armenia ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7, with multiple senior officials warning in recent weeks that Yerevan’s pivot toward the West is unfriendly to Moscow and cautioning that pursuing European Union membership would have devastating economic consequences. The pressure has also taken tangible form, with Russia imposing bans on several Armenian imports, including flowers, mineral water, and alcoholic beverages such as brandy and wine. Most of Armenia’s exports are destined for the Russian market.

Moscow has previously used energy supplies as a political lever against post-Soviet countries, cutting or threatening to cut gas deliveries to countries such as Ukraine and Moldova in past disputes.

Read more on https://t.co/c15YwXERpW

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

Armenia’s Ministry of Defense has unveiled an updated emblem for the country’s armed forces, presenting the redesign as part of the broader transformation and reform process underway within the Armenian military. The announcement came on Tuesday through a detailed explanatory video published on social media, one day before a planned military parade in Yerevan, the first to be held in a decade.

In the video, the Defense Ministry argued that the previous emblem, adopted in 2001, contained what it described as major “heraldic, morphological and conceptual shortcomings.” Officials said the redesign was intended not simply as a visual update, but as a symbolic reflection of the army’s evolving role and mission following years of military and political upheaval.

Much of the presentation focused on the emblem’s central figure, the eagle. According to the Ministry, the previous eagle had been depicted with a closed beak, which in heraldry signifies calmness and a non-combat state. Officials argued that this created the impression of passivity and contradicted the purpose of a military institution. The older emblem was also criticized for lacking visible limbs, claws and weaponry, producing what the video described as the image of a “mutilated, powerless and vulnerable creature.”

The previous placement of the sword behind the shield was also called symbolically problematic, explaining that its placement of a weapon behind a shield can signify unreadiness for defense. The earlier depiction of the Armenian flag was also criticized for appearing fragmented into sections rather than displayed as a unified tricolor, which the video suggested could symbolically imply divided or incomplete statehood.

The new emblem seeks to address these issues through a more assertive and complete visual composition. The redesigned eagle is shown with an open beak, fully visible body, claws and wings, symbolizing vigilance, vitality and combat readiness. It stands in front of a golden sun, which the Ministry said represents prosperity and eternity.

Read more on https://t.co/c15YwXERpW

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

The exchange took place on Monday during an election campaign event in Gyumri, where journalists asked Mirzoyan whether he would raise the issue of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan during talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio arrived in Yerevan on Tuesday for a brief visit.

Journalists routinely ask Armenian officials whether the issue of Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan has been or will be discussed during high-level meetings and visits.

When responding to questions on the issue, Mirzoyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan usually say the public should not expect detailed information about negotiations. They insist, however, that there are no direct or indirect talks related to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations in which the issue of prisoners is not raised.

Still, Armenia did not publicly raise the issue of Armenian prisoners during the European Political Community summit held in Yerevan on May 4, nor during the subsequent EU-Armenia summit on May 5.

During the EPC summit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who joined via video call, targeted former Artsakh officials held in Baku, describing them as “war criminals.” Pashinyan did not respond to the remarks.

Ahead of the summit, Pashinyan told journalists that Armenia did not plan to discuss the issue of Armenian prisoners with EU partners, arguing that doing so would not be effective. Instead, he said the matter would be addressed through direct contacts with Baku.

Azerbaijan captured eight members of Artsakh’s former military-political leadership in September 2023, following a nine-month blockade and military aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh and the forced displacement of the region’s entire Armenian population. They have since been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 20 years to life imprisonment. Officially, 19 Armenian detainees are currently held in Baku.

Read more on https://t.co/c15YwXERpW

[CIVILNET @CivilNetTV]

A European security organization’s election monitoring body has published its interim report on Armenia’s upcoming parliamentary elections, warning that the 7 June vote is taking place in a highly polarized political environment shaped by ongoing regional and domestic tensions.

The report, issued on Friday by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, says Armenia’s electoral framework has undergone significant changes since the previous elections. Some reforms reflect earlier ODIHR recommendations, including measures addressing misuse of administrative resources, voter pressure, vote-buying, and electoral crimes. However, several recommendations remain unaddressed, including voting rights for persons with mental disabilities, voter data protection, transparency of media ownership, and accreditation of new observer groups.

Also unaddressed is ODIHR’s previous recommendation that dual nationals be allowed to stand for office, a restriction that currently prevents leading opposition figure Samvel Karapetyan from being eligible to run. Concerns also remain over the accessibility of polling stations for persons with disabilities.

The campaign environment is described as active but deeply divisive, with key issues including the peace process with Azerbaijan, foreign policy orientation, economic development, employment, rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts. The report notes increasingly harsh rhetoric, particularly around the government’s “Real Armenia” agenda and debates over the Armenian Apostolic Church.

It also highlights concerns over criminal cases involving alleged vote-buying and misuse of charitable organizations, including cases linked to opposition figures. Some opposition representatives and civil society actors raised concerns about the misuse of administrative resources and new budgetary benefits introduced shortly before the election period.

Read more on https://t.co/c15YwXERpW