During a December 25 briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressed concern over reports of a campaign in Armenia to identify so-called “Russian influence agents.”

According to Sputnik Armenia, she said Moscow is monitoring actions by Armenian authorities who allegedly label any opposition figure as a foreign agent.

“Who are these agents—those who support developing bilateral relations? Even Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regularly speaks about the need to strengthen ties with Russia and shows a friendly attitude toward our country,” she noted.

Zakharova emphasized that if the “Russian factor” is being used as a tool to pressure opposition forces, such an approach is unacceptable.

“That is neither friendly, humane, nor democratic. In such cases, concrete evidence must be provided,” she added.

She warned that such actions could indicate a rise in nationalist and anti-Russian rhetoric in media and social networks.

“They are looking for enemies based on ethnicity. What should we call that?” Zakharova asked, adding that the Armenian people, having endured a difficult history, understand the dangers of such narratives and are unlikely to support them.

She expressed hope that Armenian society would reject such sentiments and that the authorities would not promote them.

Zakharova also condemned the use of religion and faith for political ends, reaffirming that Moscow remains committed to respecting the sovereignty of other states and does not interfere in internal affairs—a principle guiding its dialogue with Armenian partners. In contrast, she accused some Western politicians of failing to do the same, specifically referencing EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who recently offered Armenia “best European practices” from Moldova for election processes.

Commenting on Armenia-Azerbaijan dialogue, Zakharova said Moscow sees a positive dynamic, according to Vesti Kavkaza.

She noted progress in the unblocking of transport routes and highlighted continued Russian grain shipments to Armenia via Azerbaijan, calling it proof of the relevance of the "3+3" regional cooperation format.

Zakharova added that Russia would also welcome Georgia’s involvement in regional discussions, underlining the importance of broader South Caucasus cooperation.

Earlier, a pro-government outlet in Armenia published a document allegedly from the National Security Service (NSS), claiming that Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan, brother of the Catholicos, had ties with the Soviet KGB in 1986–1988. The document further alleged that he currently maintains connections with foreign intelligence agents, posing a potential threat to Armenia’s national security and interests.