YEREVAN, Armenia — In November 2024, the American University of Armenia (AUA) announced the launch of a project bringing together experts from Estonia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Sweden. Since then, the project’s AUA component, led by Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, has reached several important milestones.
Working closely with Armenia’s media experts, AUA’s Center for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) and the AUA Media lab, as well as information experts and former high-ranking officials from Artsakh, the project delivered notable results, outlined below. Three AUA students also contributed as research assistants: Hakob Ghazaryan (MPA ’25), Nune Mosikyan (BAPG ’27) , and Syuzan Margaryan (BAPG ’27).
After months of research and preparation, AUA released the first of two podcasts on disinformation, which quickly became the most-watched episode of the AUA Focus Series. This was followed by a second podcast on digital influence. Additionally, the AUA Media Lab and CEJ produced and shared two tutorials online. The first, on disinformation and misinformation, had more than 100,000 combined views on Instagram and Youtube. The second, on disinformation in the Caucasus, drew nearly 10,000 views across the two platforms. Together, these media products effectively advanced the Project’s objectives by reaching a wide audience.
The Project’s final research component was the publication of a report, “The Information Warfare Conducted by Azerbaijan Against the Statehood and Society of Artsakh in 2023.” While the civilizational, historical, military-political, social, cultural, and economic causes and consequences of Artsakh’s ethnic cleansing have been widely discussed, the informational and propagandistic dimensions have often been overlooked. This study addresses that gap by critically examining Azerbaijan’s information campaign against Artsakh. It analyzes narrative structures, rhetorical strategies, methods of information operations, and the mechanisms through which Artsakh Armenians received, disseminated, and countered these efforts, as well as their overall effectiveness.
As part of the study, a 13-question survey was sent to former high-ranking Artsakh officials, journalists, individuals involved in information processes, frontline participants in information and propaganda efforts during Artsakh’s final days, and public figures who continue to defend the rights of Artsakh citizens now living as refugees.
The report argues that the information-propaganda techniques and psychological-behavioral influence tools first tested by Azerbaijan during the 2020 war, and refined in the three years since, gradually evolved into an institutionalized and state-coordinated system. These methods were applied systematically and persistently against the Armenian population of Artsakh, creating an atmosphere of powerlessness, hopelessness, and distrust toward the future. As a result, these strategies weakened the resilience of Artsakh Armenians and, in combination with the prevailing military-political realities, contributed to their forced displacement from their homeland.
The findings of the report will be presented to the AUA community and the wider circle of journalists in September 2025.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.