Documents released by the Russian-based hacker group known as the Social Design Agency (SDA) outline a comprehensive strategy to destabilise the political situation in Armenia and redirect the country’s foreign policy toward Russia. This strategy involves, but is not limited to, extensive information operations. Key elements of these projects include the creation of media platforms, the dissemination of disinformation, and even secret operations conducted in Europe.
SDA is not a new player. It has been under US sanctions for attempting to influence the 2024 US elections. Recently, the British government announced new sanctions against this PR agency.
Unknown hackers announced that they had broken into the agency’s network and published a large number of documents. Some of them represent plans for influence operations against Armenia that have already been implemented or are being implemented. Of course, it should be considered that the hacker attack against the agency could be part of a broader hybrid attack, and, for example, fake or fabricated documents could be embedded in the actual materials. However, general logic suggests that we are most likely dealing with the real materials.
So what can be found in that documents.
1. Strategic goal: 2026 elections
The SDA’s primary focus is the parliamentary elections in Armenia scheduled for June 2026. One of the key strategies involves mobilising “Russian Armenians,” as the authors believe this group could significantly influence the election outcomes.
The following projects have been launched for this purpose:
- Yerevan1 (Ереван1): a specialised media outlet serving the Armenian community in Russia, aims to foster negative perceptions of Nikol Pashinyan while promoting positive views of pro-Russian forces. As of 2026, this outlet operates as a licensed media entity and has an active presence on social media
- Diaspora Speaks (Говорит диаспора): a Pan-Armenian media platform for Armenians in France, the United States, Lebanon, and other countries. It advocates an alliance with Russia and highlights the dangers posed by the West and Turkey.
2. Defamation actions: The Marseille case
One of the most striking examples is the operation codenamed “Marseille,” which was implemented on June 5, 2025.
- The essence of the operation: false information was spread claiming that Nikol Pashinyan had purchased a villa in Marseille for 3.1 million euros using funds from the French Development Agency (AFD).
- Methods: materials from “French journalists” were disseminated and quickly spread through various media outlets and social networks.
- The Result: the disinformation garnered over 10.6 million views worldwide in multiple languages.
3. Digital manipulations: the Wikipedia “clone”
To manage the information landscape, the SDA has established the “Auto-Completing Knowledge Base-Armenia” project.
- Mechanism: Clone sites of Wikipedia in Armenian and Russian have been created with improved SEO, aiming to surpass the originals in Google search results.
- Problems: Articles contain necessary narratives that introduce biased blocks. For instance, sections are added to the “Yerevan” or “Judicial System” pages that discredit certain political figures or promote their preferred candidates.
- False flag: The project’s servers are intentionally located in Turkey to create a “Turkish trace” if detected.
4. Astrology and provocations in Paris
The documents also unveil the use of psychological manipulation and covert operations.
- Astrological analysis: The materials include a detailed “horoscope” for Armenia and Pashinyan for 2025, predicting “explosive events,” protests, and a decline in authority. This information attack is likely aimed at a specific audience.
- Commemoration Day in Paris: scheduled for April 2025, near the embassies of Turkey and Azerbaijan.
- Perpetrators: Citizens of Croatia and Bulgaria were involved, who were convinced that they were working for the ARFD party.
- The core: Stickers inscribed with “I remember and demand” were posted at night, in accordance with strict secrecy protocols.
5. 2026 status
The 2026 reports show that the SDA successfully launched a comprehensive network of influence tools.
- Hundreds of videos and materials are created using artificial intelligence (AI).
- Over 10,000 user accounts on social networks are monitored to spread necessary messages.
- The Wikipedia clone project now contains more than 50,000 edited pages.
According to published data, the agency operates across different fields, but it is clear that considerable attention and resources are focused on the June 2026 elections in Armenia.
