Moscow Targets U.S.-Backed Projects as Armenia Moves West

Although Moscow failed to swing Armenia’s June elections in its favor, it continues to stir the pot in Yerevan, aiming to thwart Armenia’s turn toward the West. A new report from cybersecurity company Recorded Future highlights how Russia is adapting its information operations to target U.S.-backed projects representing Yerevan’s Westward shift. Russia-Linked Information Operations Target U.S.-Backed AI Project Recorded Future identified three information operations focused on Firebird, a U.S.-based company behind a major AI project in the Armenian city of Hrazdan. The operations were linked to CopyCop, also known as Storm-1516, a Russian influence network that has previously targeted Armenia. Between June 24 and July 13, the network circulated fabricated reports attacking the project’s safety, economic viability, and security implications. One of these reports, impersonating technology news outlet TechCrunch, falsely warned that an imminent earthquake threatened the Firebird artificial intelligence data center in Armenia. Another, posing as the website Gizmodo, claimed Armenia’s electricity grid could not sustain the project, potentially costing investors billions. A third fabricated an Iranian military-style message portraying Firebird as a U.S. intelligence facility and potential military target. Social media accounts amplifying the latter narrative generated more than 1.6 million views. Firebird developed the facility alongside NVIDIA, Dell Technologies, and the Armenian government as part of growing U.S.-Armenian technology cooperation. Its first phase attracted roughly $500 million in investment, while a planned expansion, enabled by U.S. approval for exports of 41,000 additional NVIDIA GPUs, would raise investment to approximately $4 billion. Vice President JD Vance announced the expansion during his February visit to Yerevan. Moscow’s Information Operations Shift With Armenia’s Westward Turn Ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections, Storm-1516 bombarded Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government with fabricated stories portraying them as corrupt, hostile to Armenia’s Christian identity, and willing to sacrifice the country’s sovereignty to the West. A joint investigation by DFRLab, CivilNet, and Erebus identified dozens of Storm-1516 digital disinformation campaigns that used fabricated stories, fake websites, and coordinated social media amplification targeting Armenia between June 2025 and June 2026. Fifteen of those campaigns generated nearly 150 million views across 475 posts. Now, Moscow is attempting to not only sway Armenian political processes but also discredit symbols of Yerevan’s Euro-Atlantic ambitions. In addition to Firebird, CopyCop has targeted the U.S.-backed Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a planned network of rail, road, energy, and digital infrastructure at the heart of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process. In March, CopyCop falsely claimed that Armenia had granted a company from Turkey, a historical foe of Armenia and close ally of Azerbaijan, a 40-year concession over the route. The accusation aimed to delegitimize TRIPP by stoking Armenian concerns about sovereignty over the corridor. The shift comes as Armenia seeks to escape Moscow’s orbit. On August 24, Pashinyan said Yerevan would soon begin preparing an official application for EU membership, a prospect that has incensed the Kremlin. Pashinyan also reiterated that Armenia has no intention of resuming participation in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. Yerevan froze its membership in that body after Moscow declined to intervene when Azerbaijani forces seized the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023. Washington Should Help Armenia Counter Russian Information Operations Washington has tools to respond to Russian information operations targeting Armenia. The U.S.-Armenia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Charter commits both governments to countering foreign malign propaganda and strengthening resilience against cyber and hybrid threats. Washington can also coordinate with Brussels, as the EU Partnership Mission in Armenia is tasked with helping Armenian institutions prevent, detect, and respond to foreign information manipulation. Washington should use these mechanisms to expand information sharing on Russian influence networks, help Armenian authorities rapidly expose such campaigns, and coordinate with Brussels to protect Western-backed initiatives such as Firebird and TRIPP. As Yerevan’s ties with Washington and Brussels deepen, Moscow has greater incentive to derail that shift. Washington should ensure that expanding U.S. engagement in Armenia is accompanied by stronger support for Yerevan’s ability to identify and counter Russian malign influence. Keti Korkiya is a research analyst in the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Keti and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.