Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has criticized Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan for alleging that Moscow is waging a hybrid war against Armenia, calling his rhetoric inappropriate for someone in his position.

Zakharova expressed regret over Simonyan’s return to such language, stating that personal attacks and insults "do not suit the image of a parliamentary speaker." She added, "I say this as a press secretary," referencing Simonyan’s own comments in which he had called her just that, according to Edaily.

Responding to a statement by the Republic party, which alleged Russian embassy involvement in an incident in Yerevan’s Nor Nork district, Zakharova claimed that Armenia has begun applying "Brussels playbooks that we, unfortunately, know well."

"We’ve heard countless accusations of our supposed interference from different countries. In the end, it turns out to be fake, lies, and disinformation," she stated.

She also emphasized that accusations of a "hybrid war" are baseless, pointing out that Armenian leaders are regularly invited to Moscow for celebrations and that high-level and diplomatic communication continues consistently between the countries.

On May 5, Simonyan said that “the northern neighbor is conducting a hybrid war” against Armenia and predicted this would intensify ahead of the 2026 elections.