Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Tillis Send Bipartisan Letters to Meta, Alphabet Ahead of Armenian Parliamentary Elections

WASHINGTON - Last week, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Thom Tillis (R-NC), sent letters to Meta and Alphabet urging them to devote sufficient resources to preventing Russian disinformation ahead of Armenia's June 2026 parliamentary elections.

"Independent experts assess that Russia is updating its playbook from Moldova, including by using Meta platforms, to influence the results of Armenia's democratic process," wrote the Senators in their letter to Meta. "Prime Minister Pashinyan has noted that 'people from Russia' are being encouraged to support certain political parties. A respected Armenian civil society group, the Union of Informed Citizens, has identified more than a hundred pages on Meta platforms promoting manipulative content relating to the upcoming elections. The group has also noted coordinated inauthentic behavior reportedly directed by a Russian-Armenian oligarch listed by the first Trump Administration in a statutorily required report to Congress as a 'significant senior foreign political figure [or] oligarch in the Russian Federation, as determined by their closeness to the Russian regime.'"

"We hope that you will reprise and adapt efforts taken to support Moldova in defending its democracy against foreign assault but now with relevant Armenian institutions," wrote the Senators in their letter to Alphabet. "We urge Alphabet to devote sufficient resources to counter Russian disinformation ahead of the Armenian elections."

The Senators expressed their concerns to the companies and the recognition by the United States of the grave threat posed by Russian actors' disinformation efforts to Armenian democracy.

Full text of the letters to Meta and Alphabet are available HERE and HERE and provided below.

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg,

We appreciate Meta's engagement with our teams to explain your initiatives to counter Russian-backed disinformation and political financing ahead of Moldova's September 2025 parliamentary elections. We write to call your attention to another of the Russian Federation's efforts to interfere in a vulnerable democracy's elections, this time ahead of Armenia's June 2026 parliamentary elections. These elections are pivotal for determining Armenia's future, as they are likely to determine the outcome of regional peace initiatives and connectivity projects, including the flagship Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a key component of peace talks. No foreign power should be permitted to influence the results of Armenia's sovereign decisions.

Independent experts assess that Russia is updating its playbook from Moldova, including by using Meta platforms, to influence the results of Armenia's democratic process. Prime Minister Pashinyan has noted that "people from Russia" are being encouraged to support certain political parties. A respected Armenian civil society group, the Union of Informed Citizens, has identified more than a hundred pages on Meta platforms promoting manipulative content relating to the upcoming elections. The group has also noted coordinated inauthentic behavior reportedly directed by a Russian-Armenian oligarch listed by the first Trump Administration in a statutorily required report to Congress as a "significant senior foreign political figure [or] oligarch in the Russian Federation, as determined by their closeness to the Russian regime."

We hope that you will reprise and adapt efforts taken to support Moldova in defending its democracy but now with relevant Armenian institutions. We urge Meta to devote sufficient resources to counter Russian disinformation ahead of the Armenian elections. While the United States must remain impartial in its views about the results of Armenia's democratic process, we cannot turn a blind eye when we see a foreign power attempt to impose its will on the Armenian people. If these efforts use platforms based in the jurisdiction of the United States, our responsibility is even greater to mitigate and prevent such efforts. I urge Meta to use this moment to help ensure that Armenia's elections remain free and fair.

Dear Mr. Pichai,

We appreciate Alphabet's engagement with our teams to explain your initiatives to counter Russian-backed disinformation and political financing ahead of Moldova's September 2025 parliamentary elections. We write to call your attention to another of the Russian Federation's efforts to interfere in a vulnerable democracy's elections, this time ahead of Armenia's June 2026 parliamentary elections. These elections are pivotal for determining Armenia's future, as they are likely to determine the outcome of regional peace initiatives as well as connectivity projects, including the flagship Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a key component of peace talks. No foreign power should be permitted to influence the results of these sovereign decisions, which must be made exclusively by the Armenian people.

Independent experts assess that Russia is using and updating its playbook from Moldova, including by using Alphabet platforms, to influence the results of Armenia's democratic process. Prime Minister Pashinyan has noted that "people from Russia," referring to Armenians abroad, are being encouraged to vote for certain political parties. A respected Armenian civil society group, the Union of Informed Citizens, has identified at least seventeen YouTube channels promoting manipulative content relating to the upcoming elections.

We hope that you will reprise and adapt efforts taken to support Moldova in defending its democracy against foreign assault but now with relevant Armenian institutions. We urge Alphabet to devote sufficient resources to counter Russian disinformation ahead of the Armenian elections. While the United States must remain impartial in its views about the results of Armenia's democratic process, we cannot turn a blind eye when we see a foreign power attempt to impose its will on the Armenian people. If these efforts use platforms based in the jurisdiction of the United States, our responsibility is even greater to mitigate and prevent such efforts. I urge Alphabet to use this moment to ensure that Armenia's elections remain free and fair.

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