[user] Translate to English preserving context and formatting (source is Russian):
Photo: Nikol Pashinyan / Telegram
The Russian authorities intend to send about 100,000 Armenians to Armenia so that they vote against the country's current prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, in the parliamentary elections. Reuters reports this, citing several sources.
Transporting Armenians. As three sources told the agency, the Russian authorities estimated the cost of transporting 100,000 Armenian voters at $50 million.
According to them, by mid-May the Kremlin had also introduced quotas for the regions on the number of Armenians who must be sent to Armenia. The sources do not explain exactly how these demands of the Russian authorities are being carried out. Journalists were unable to reliably determine whether such a plan is in fact being developed and whether it will prove effective.
The document noted that Armenians living in Russia could play a decisive role in the elections if "high turnout among them" is ensured.
Parliamentary elections. Parliamentary elections in Armenia will take place on June 7. The main rivals are considered to be the Civil Contract party of incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Strong Armenia of Russian-Armenian oligarch Samvel Karapetyan.
Recently, Pashinyan has been actively advocating closer ties with the European Union. In addition, he is supported in the elections by U.S. President Donald Trump. The Kremlin, meanwhile, is betting on businessman Karapetyan, who is under investigation in Armenia in a case involving calls to overthrow the government.
Why bring Armenians in. According to the latest polls, Pashinyan's Civil Contract party may receive about 30% of the vote, while Karapetyan's Strong Armenia only 6%. At the same time, the Kremlin is counting on Karapetyan's victory.
Other threats. In August of last year, Vladimir Putin created the Directorate for Strategic Partnership and Cooperation. It is this structure, Reuters sources claim, that oversees influence operations in Armenia.
In addition to bringing Armenians in, the Kremlin has launched online disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting Pashinyan, the agency writes. These use, among other things, the Storm-1516 bot network, which played a role in attempts to interfere in the recent U.S. elections.
In addition, the Russian authorities were proposed to create the outlet Yerevan1 for Armenians living in Russia in order to shape a negative image of Pashinyan and a positive attitude toward the Russia-Armenia union.
Context. On the eve of the June 7 parliamentary elections, relations between Moscow and Yerevan began to deteriorate. Russia is criticizing Pashinyan for his course toward closer ties with the European Union.
Agentstvo calculated that in the last week alone the Kremlin has already banned the import of about ten categories of goods from Armenia. Among them are fruits, vegetables, strawberries, flowers, and cognac. Russia was one of the main buyers of Armenian products.