Fake news campaign targets Armenia using CNN, Reuters, and Bloomberg logos

A fake video circulating on X claims that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's government has introduced a "Law on the Protection of Islam" that criminalizes criticism of the Prophet Muhammad. Another video claims that since November 2025, Azerbaijani businessmen have become shareholders in major Armenian companies, controlling more than half of the country's businesses.

Between February 20 and March 1, at least 10 such videos were spread on X from random accounts, containing sensational and manipulative claims targeting Armenia and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Օne of the fake videos circulating on X.

The videos use the logos of renowned international media outlets, including CNN, Reuters, Bloomberg, Euronews, and others, creating the impression that the content was published by those sources. However, none of the outlets mentioned published any such content.

Fake claims under the logos of international media

The videos are produced in a fast-paced, dynamic format typical of social media, and in some cases featuring AI-generated voice commentary. Their central narrative is that Armenia is under "external governance" and that the country's values and sovereignty are being ceded to neighboring states. Various false claims are built around this premise.

For example, one video spread on February 25 claims that in 2028, Armenian schools will receive new history textbooks in which the number of Armenian Genocide victims will be reduced by 40%. The video carries the logo of the state news agency Armenpress. It even includes a fabricated quote attributed to Prime Minister's spokeswoman Nazeli Baghdasaryan: "Yes, the genocide took place, but we must acknowledge that the death toll was far lower than generally assumed." Armenpress published no such information, nor has Nazeli Baghdasaryan made any such statement.

Another video with the Reuters logo claims that since November 2025, Azerbaijani businessmen have become shareholders in major Armenian companies. CivilNetCheck reviewed Armenia's State Register of Legal Entities, and no Azerbaijani citizens or companies have been registered as owners or shareholders of any Armenian business. Reuters published no such report either.

Yet another video claims that under a new Pashinyan bill set to pass in the coming weeks, teaching the basics of Islam would become mandatory in Armenian elementary schools, and that insulting the Prophet Muhammad would be classified as a serious criminal offense. The government has put forward no such initiative, and no related discussions have taken place.

A video circulating under the Politico logo claims that, according to Eurostat research, Pashinyan's approval rating has reached a record low as a result of Armenia's foreign policy. Politico published no such article, and Eurostat conducted no such research. Eurostat is the statistical office of the European Union and does not conduct political approval polls for individual country leaders. Another video, this time under the Bloomberg logo, claims that following U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to Armenia, the Republican Party lost more than one million Armenian-American voters. Neither Bloomberg nor the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis published any such information.

Another video under the Euronews logo claims that the Civil Contract party is mobilizing thousands of civil servants to gain an electoral advantage. A separate video with the Politico logo alleges that Pashinyan is pressuring major Armenian businessmen to finance his electoral campaign, and features a statement attributed to French political scientist Olivier Rouault about a supposed plan to rig the elections. A video with the logo of the French outlet Le Point claims that more than 70 percent of Civil Contract party members have obtained French citizenship. Another video report under CNN Turk's logo claims that JD Vance gave Pashinyan "carte blanche" to suppress the Armenian Apostolic Church.

None of the outlets mentioned published any such content, and none of the claims are accompanied by any factual evidence or verifiable sources.

One of the posts targets Anna Hakobyan, claiming she is in a romantic relationship with a Turkish actor and showing an alleged photo of the two in front of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai as "evidence." The photo is a manipulation of an existing image of Anna Hakobyan digitally merged with a photo of the actor.

Coordinated distribution and fake accounts

The videos were spread on X through fake accounts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) that had little to no activity, simply posting entertainment and non-political content. They appear unrelated to each other at first glance and have no apparent connection to Armenia.

Also notable is the timing: at least 8 of the 10 videos were published on February 25 between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. The videos tag international media outlets, apparently in an attempt to attract their attention and gain additional visibility.

International researchers describe such campaigns as a combination of several disinformation models. The creation of sensational content, sometimes involving AI-generated fabrications, is associated with the network known as Storm-1516. The impersonation of reputable media formats and logos is linked to the Doppelgänger disinformation strategy. The mechanism of simultaneous distribution through bot or low-activity accounts while tagging real media outlets corresponds to the Matryoshka disinformation strategy.

In sum, the videos circulating on X between February 20 and March 1 display the hallmarks of a coordinated disinformation campaign: fabricated content, misuse of reputable media logos, and synchronized distribution via bot accounts. None of the claims presented are supported by any factual source, and none correspond to reality.