Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused certain political circles in Russia and Armenia of attempting to destabilise the country, claiming that their ultimate objective is to undermine Armenia's independence.
Speaking on Thursday, Pashinyan argued that recent Russian restrictions on Armenian products had failed to produce the economic and political consequences allegedly sought by those groups.
Russia began introducing restrictions on Armenian products in April, ahead of Armenia's June parliamentary elections. The measures intensified during the election campaign, raising questions among some Armenian political observers about whether they were intended to exert pressure on Yerevan.
"There are circles in and out of Armenia that are and will be trying to exploit this working situation not only to incite instability in Armenia, but there is also a very specific reason behind instability — the elimination of Armenia’s de facto independence," Pashinyan stated.
The Armenian prime minister described the alleged activities as the third attempt in three years to generate domestic political instability.
According to Pashinyan, the first such attempt occurred in September 2023, following Azerbaijan's counterterrorism operation in Karabakh, which resulted in the restoration of Baku's control over the region.
More than 100,000 ethnic Armenian residents subsequently departed Karabakh for Armenia, amid heightened political tensions in Yerevan.
"The aim was to direct the flow of people toward Armenia, while calls were simultaneously being made to change the political authorities," Pashinyan claimed.
He suggested that certain political actors had sought to use the developments in Karabakh to encourage protests against his government.
Asked why he had not directly identified those allegedly responsible for the destabilisation efforts, particularly given that his remarks appeared to concern Russia, Pashinyan insisted that he had already referred to specific groups operating there.
"I had said very specifically that certain circles in Russia — yes, is this news to you? Didn’t I say it? I had said certain circles in Russia, I just referred to it. Who was posting on Facebook in 2023, calling on the people of Armenia to take to the streets and remove the anti-national government? Who was doing that?" he said.
During the September 2023 developments, several pro-Kremlin commentators publicly encouraged anti-government demonstrations in Yerevan, criticising Pashinyan's handling of the situation in Karabakh.
Some commentators also used allegations of so-called genocide against the ethnic Armenian population of Karabakh to mobilise opposition to the Armenian government. Such allegations remain politically contested.
Pashinyan identified Armenia's June parliamentary elections as the second alleged attempt to destabilise the country, although he did not provide further details.
He argued that a third attempt was now emerging in connection with Russian restrictions on Armenian goods, which he characterised as politically motivated rather than primarily economic.
"There is no economic component here; we are dealing with a political component. The goal is to provoke domestic political instability in Armenia and, de facto, and subsequently de jure, deprive Armenia of its independence," Pashinyan stated.
Despite his concerns, the prime minister expressed confidence in Armenia's ability to withstand the alleged pressure, saying that the Armenian state was "sufficiently resilient and will overcome this situation as well".
His remarks come amid continuing tensions in relations between Armenia and Russia, particularly over economic cooperation, regional security and Yerevan's efforts to diversify its foreign partnerships.
Pashinyan did not present evidence directly linking the Russian trade restrictions to a coordinated effort to undermine Armenia's independence.