Azerbaijani propaganda continues to incite hatred amid Armenia’s pursuit of peace
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which culminated in the fighting in Artsakh in 2020, was accompanied by an active information war. In a climate of high political tension, Baku and Ankara used media outlets, social networks and other platforms to mobilize Turkic-speaking audiences, justify their actions and discredit Armenian society. One common tactic in such environments is the spread of falsehoods and disinformation — purposeful attempts to mislead the public, particularly Armenian audiences.
Subsequent peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan have not stopped Baku from seeking to discredit Yerevan at various levels. Currently, dialogue surrounding a peaceful settlement is accompanied by efforts from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s team to undermine Armenia’s international reputation, divert attention from their own actions and gain diplomatic leverage — that is, a stronger negotiating position.
Some time ago, Azerbaijan and Turkey again used falsified material and misinformation to discredit ethnic Armenians living in Ukraine, aiming to weaken international support for Armenia and erode backing within the Armenian diaspora in the West. Telegram channels linked to Azerbaijani propaganda, including “BT NEWS” (formerly “Без тормозов,” or “Without brakes”) and “Зангезурская Автономная Республика“, (“The Zangezur Autonomous Republic”), published a video allegedly showing correspondence involving Vova Vartanov, the leader of the Armenian volunteer organization VoMA. The posts claimed the messages discussed the “transfer of stolen weapons” from Ukraine to Armenia. The material was presented as supposed evidence of terrorist activity and Armenia’s alleged “militarization.”
Vartanov publicly denied the claims on his personal Telegram channel, pointing out the gross mistakes made by Azerbaijani propagandists, whom he referred to as “Caspian Turks.” In particular, he noted inaccuracies in the imitation of his Telegram account, including incorrect photos and template messages, which indicated the propagandists’ incompetence and their haste to fabricate another anti-Armenian “sensation.”
This is not the first time Azerbaijani propaganda has sought to discredit Armenian patriots affiliated with VoMA.
Aliyev and his inner circle consider such organizations extremely dangerous because they unite the Armenian spirit and support the integrity and independence of Armenia — outcomes that run counter to the geopolitical objectives of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In turn, the contributions of ethnic Armenians fighting for Ukraine’s freedom against Russian aggression underscore the Armenian people’s solidarity with democratic values. Azerbaijani efforts to portray these individuals as “terrorists” appear designed to divert international attention from their own human rights violations in Artsakh. Azerbaijan, relying on its alliance with Turkey, is inflating claims of “arms theft” to create artificial tensions between Armenia and Ukraine, as well as to undermine the reputation of the Armenian diaspora in the United States and Europe, where support for Ukraine remains strong.
Moreover, such disinformation campaigns also reinforce Azerbaijani narratives about Armenia’s alleged “militarization,” which are later used to exert diplomatic pressure on Yerevan. Such tactics resemble those of authoritarian regimes seeking to suppress diaspora voices in the West through coordinated online misinformation.
The Armenian community must remain vigilant against such falsehoods, which threaten not only the reputation of the heroes of the Armenian Legion and other units but also broader efforts to advocate for Armenia’s interests in the U.S. Congress and the European Union. These actions should be perceived as attacks on collective identity and solidarity.
The diaspora should identify and refute disinformation in both media and social networks, while urging Western platforms to adopt tougher measures against Azerbaijani propaganda.
By presenting a united front against aggressive manipulation, Armenians can protect the truth and dignity of their people.
Azerbaijani propagandists should understand that the Armenian spirit is strong and that hostile actions only inspire continued efforts for justice, affirming that the truth always defeats the lies of authoritarian regimes.
So this is how “peace” with Azerbaijan looks like. That country continues to engage in dirty propaganda and smear campaigns against Armenia and Armenians, continues to undermine and sabotage Armenia at every opportunity and in any international arena. Azerbaijan’s mentality of “revanche”, aggression, expansion and genocidal intent against Armenia and Armenians, has not changed a bit in the past 100+ years. Despite achieving its objectives of “liberating Qarabağ” by grabbing all of Artsakh and ethnically cleansing all Armenians, it still “needs” Armenians as the “scapegoat” and as the “eternal arch-enemy” to divert the Azeri peoples’ attention from their problems. That fascist dictatorship continues to dehumanize Armenians and teaches to hate Armenians from kindergarden onwards and in their 100% state-controlled media. There can never be a real and lasting peace with Azerbaijan and Turkey, and Armenia will remain under constant danger, unless its two hostile Turkic neighbors become civilized and peaceful, like post-war Germany. That likelihood is extremely small.
About the Ukrainian conflict, Armenia must remain neutral in this conflict and in other conflicts. It must avoid getting involved in other countries’ conflicts and not choose sides. It must especially prevent Armenian citizens from travelling to conflict zones to fight as mercenaries, which must be illegal under Armenian law. The end result are Armenian casualties, widows, orphans and invalids. Having Armenians fighting on opposite sides, who are neither Ukrainian and Russian citizens, but are from Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora, will only incur the wrath of the warring sides, and will hurt Armenia and Armenians. And when Ukraine openly expressed support for the Azerbaijani position on Artsakh and for Azerbaijan’s “territorial integrity”, why on earth should Armenia side with Ukraine? Ukraine is not the business and concern of Armenia.