Russian "Investigation" Presented as American: How a False Narrative About Pashinyan’s Daughter was Spread

Posts circulating on social media claim that American journalists have published an investigation allegedly exposing the involvement of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s eldest daughter, Mariam Pashinyan, in the embezzlement of state funds.

“The Prime Minister’s eldest daughter, Mariam, gained access to more than $80 million in public funds through the company ATHLIX, the posts claim. 

The publication initially appeared on the platform X, after which it was actively disseminated through Russian-language Telegram channels and, in recent days, also reached Armenian-language segments of social media. 

However, the so-called investigation has not been published by any American media outlet. Its original source is a Russian organization, after which it was republished by an English-language website. The article contains fabricated and unverified claims. This foundation and the same English-language website have previously published false and misleading information about Armenia. 

The source of the investigation

Although posts circulating on social media cite vtforeignpolicy[.]com as the source of the article, it actually states that the “investigation” was conducted by the ”Foundation to Battle Injustice,” a Russian entity. Chronologically, it is also evident that the article was first published on the foundation’s website and later republished on other platforms.

On April 11, the “Foundation to Battle Injustice” published a lengthy article presenting alleged “evidence” of corruption involving Pashinyan’s family. 

Before addressing Mariam Pashinyan, the article reiterates earlier claims of corruption involving other family members. For example, it references allegations that Pashinyan’s wife, Anna Hakobyan, embezzled $3.4 million from the City of Smiles foundation. These claims have already been debunked by #CivilNetCheck, which found they originated from a fake website and lacked any factual basis. 

#Fake News: False Charity Theft Claim Against Armenian PM’s Wife

Is Mariam Pashinyan’s company involved in public procurement?

Mariam Pashinyan is indeed involved in the company ATHLIX CJSC. Established in September 2025, Pashinyan owns 50 percent of the shares and serves as its executive director. The remaining 50 percent belongs to Diana Arzumanyan, who is also involved in Orion Worldwide Innovations LLC, a startup consultancy firm. Notably, ATHLIX is registered at the same address as Orion Worldwide Innovations. 

The article claims that shortly after its establishment, ATHLIX became involved in state programs and procurement processes, particularly in the fields of education, high technology, and healthcare. It further alleges that the company participated in public tenders and secured contracts for “consulting services,” technical inspections, and digitalization projects.

However, information on public and municipal procurement in Armenia is publicly available through platforms such as gnumner.am and armeps.am, where both participating and winning companies are listed.

The name of ATHLIX does not appear on these platforms, neither as a bidder nor as a winning company in any procurement process, including those mentioned in the article.

#CivilNetCheck contacted Diana Arzumanyan, who stated that ATHLIX has not participated in any public procurement or programs. According to her, the company has not carried out any activities since its establishment. 

The article also links ATHLIX to businessman Samvel Aleksanyan, alleging that it was used for exporting precious metals and supplying weapons. It further claims that financial transfers were conducted through PASALBA LTD, a Cyprus-registered company allegedly connected to Aleksanyan.

However, open-source information indicates that PASALBA LTD has been linked to the Russian company Rust Russia OJSC, whose ultimate beneficiary is Rustam Tariko. No connection to Samvel Aleksanyan or ATHLIX has been confirmed.

On April 21, Prime Minister’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan addressed the publication, stating that the information is false and has no connection to reality: “This is yet another disinformation campaign targeting the Prime Minister and his family members.”

Other inaccuracies in the article

The article also cites international organizations, claiming they have assessed a deterioration of the situation and an increase in corruption in Armenia. It alleges that Transparency International identified “democratic backsliding, politically motivated criminal cases, restrictions on media freedom, and elite capture of power” as reasons for worsening corruption.

It also claims that surveys by the International Republican Institute (IRI) show that public trust in anti-corruption policy has nearly halved since 2018.

In reality, Transparency International has not made such claims about Armenia. The organization has referred to a slowdown in anti-corruption reforms and limited progress, not a sharp increase in corruption or “elite capture” of power. Moreover, no IRI survey indicates that trust in anti-corruption policy has “halved since 2018.”

Such wording does not appear in the sources cited by the article.

How the narrative spread

As noted, the article was first published on the “Foundation to Battle Injustice” website on April 11 and then republished on vtforeignpolicy.com on April 13. That same day, it was shared via the website’s X account and by the article’s listed author, Lucas Leiroz, after which it began spreading through bot-like accounts on X. 

The article was also disseminated through Telegram channels to target Armenian- and Russian-speaking audiences. The first Telegram post appeared on April 16, followed by widespread distribution on April 17. Some channels, such as Армянский калейдоскоп and Параллель Z, posted the same content twice. At the same time, fake accounts also spread the article through Facebook.

Notably, in all cases, the source is presented as “American journalists,” rather than the “Foundation to Battle Injustice”, effectively obscuring the Russian origin of the material.

What is the “Foundation to Battle Injustice”?

The Foundation to Battle Injustice (Фонд борьбы с репрессиями) is a Russian organization established in 2021 and presented as a “human rights” entity. It was founded by the late Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, known for his close ties to the Kremlin and for leading the Wagner private military company.

Before his death, Prigozhin created numerous disinformation platforms, including the infamous “troll factory.“ The foundation is currently headed by Mira Terada (also known as Oksana Vovk), who served a prison sentence in the United States for money laundering.

About the “American website” and Lucas Leiroz

Lucas Leiroz, listed as the author on vtforeignpolicy[.]com, is not an independent journalist but a key member of a disinformation network known as “Storm-1516.” According to Microsoft and the French agency VIGINUM, Leiroz is closely linked to the movement of Russian ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin and regularly contributes to pro-Kremlin outlets, including Russia Today.

This is not the first time the same scheme has been used: disinformation about Armenia is first published on the “Foundation to Battle Injustice” website, then republished on vtforeignpolicy.com, and from there disseminated across social media.

Read also: Tracing Disinformation Against Armenia: From Narratives to Organised Networks