Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 9, 2026 - Institute for the Study of War

The Kremlin is seeking to delegitimize the results of Armenia’s June 8 parliamentary elections, in which Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan s Civil Contract Party won a majority of the vote. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party won the Armenian general election on June 7 with 49.82 percent of the vote.[1] Russian government officials and Russian milbloggers emphasized false narratives on June 8 and 9 to delegitimize the Civil Contract Party’s win, by claiming that Pashinyan lost the election as he did not secure more than 50 percent of the vote, that Armenia held elections under intense pressure from the West and domestic opposition suppression, and alleged that the election featured mass election interference and fraud.[2] The head of the Russian Federal Agency for Fishery Rosrybolovstvo also released a warning on June 8 that Russia will increase restrictions on fish imports from Armenia if “veterinary risks” arise, attempting to threaten Armenia with economic punishment for distancing itself from Russia.[3] Russian officials are likely attempting to delegitimize Pashinyan s victory as Pashinyan has recently begun distancing Armenian connections and cooperation with Russia and no longer represents or serves the Kremlin’s interests in Armenia. Armenia s Civil Contract Party has been reorienting itself and its policies away from Russia and toward the EU in recent months and has sought to reduce Armenia s participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).[4] The Kremlin engaged in a similar delegitimization campaign following Maia Sandu s victory in the Moldovan Presidential elections in 2024.[5] The Kremlin emphasized similar narratives of election fraud, suppression of opposition, and “illegitimate” results, suggesting that Sandu’s victory materialized only after counting Western diaspora ballots.[6] The Kremlin continues spreading false narrative of stolen elections in post-Soviet states when those results to not favor Russian interests.