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The “Western Azerbaijan” narrative is gradually moving from Azerbaijani discourse into Armenia’s propaganda space. In recent months, social media has seen a growing number of videos created with artificial intelligence (AI) tools that promote the myth of the “return” of 300,000 Azerbaijanis.
One of the most vivid examples of this narrative is an AI-generated video currently circulating online, which has even made its way onto Armenian television broadcasts.
The Fact Investigation Platform (FIP.am) examined the video and attempted to trace how it spread and who has been promoting it.
What does the AI-generated video claim?
The video depicts the year 2031, presenting a fictional reality in which Armenia has become “Western Azerbaijan.” In the footage, a woman watches a Haberler TV news broadcast reporting on the Armenian minority living in what is now described as “Western Azerbaijan,” supposedly already incorporated into Azerbaijan.
The Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex is portrayed as “Hill of Martyrs,” where the city’s largest mosque has allegedly been built. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is depicted as the “Governor of Western Azerbaijan,” laying flowers alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the foot of the statue to Atatürk in Heydar Aliyev Park. According to the video, by 2031 only 320,000 Armenians remain in “Western Azerbaijan,” making up just 15 percent of the population.
As noted, the video was created using AI tools. More broadly, the use of AI technologies has become widespread throughout this propaganda campaign. AI is reshaping the form of propaganda: whereas messages such as “we will lose the country,” “we will live under the Turks,” or “our identity will vanish” were previously spread through text-based rhetoric, artificial intelligence is now being used to create immersive visual scenarios that allow audiences to “experience” a projected future.
Who spread the video?
Monitoring by FIP.am found that the video was first shared on May 13 by the Telegram channel SisMasis. The post received more than 5,000 views and hundreds of shares. The channel has over 23,000 followers on Telegram, is registered in Armenia, and primarily publishes content in Russian, though some posts appear in Armenian.
The channel frequently contains hate speech, promotes pro-Russian positions, and serves as a source of information for pro-Kremlin media outlets. It actively criticizes Armenia’s state policies, spreading narratives such as “under Pashinyan everything will be handed over to Turkey” or “the country is occupied by Pashinyan.” At the same time, it praises opposition figures, particularly former President Robert Kocharyan, businessman Samvel Karapetyan, and the political forces associated with them. The channel also advances the claim that Russia is Armenia’s “only ally” and criticizes the government for acting against Russian interests.
By May 14, the video had spread to Facebook, where it was shared by a user named Abrasim Atoyan. A review of the account indicates that he is a supporter of the “Armenia Alliance,” reposts videos and statements by alliance representatives and calls to vote for Kocharyan.
Starting May 15, the video appeared across numerous social media accounts (1, 2, 3, 4), and by May 20 it had also been picked up by several media outlets (1, 2, 3).
On May 17, the video was reportedly submitted to Armenian television stations as a promotional clip for the opposition “Armenia Alliance,” led by Kocharyan, for paid broadcast airtime. However, according to FIP.am, only the television channel “5th Channel,” which is associated with Kocharyan, agreed to air it. Other broadcasters declined to provide airtime, a fact confirmed to FIP.am by several television companies.
How the “Western Azerbaijan” narrative intensified
The “Western Azerbaijan” narrative had circulated previously, though not as a dominant political theme. Its recent intensification began after a Facebook post by Russia-based media businessman and Kremlin propagandist Aram Gabrielyanov. On April 29, Gabrielyanov wrote that Azerbaijan’s deputy prime minister had arrived in Armenia to discuss the “return” of 300,000 Azerbaijanis to Armenia as part of a “large-scale resettlement program.”
Following that post, opposition figures — including leaders and representatives of the “Strong Armenia” party headed by Samvel Karapetyan — repeatedly began asserting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) that if Pashinyan “were re-elected, he would settle 300,000 Azerbaijanis in Armenia.”
Discussions surrounding the video on social media have largely revolved around themes of inevitable loss and fear. Posts and comments frame developments since 2018 as part of a single continuous process — from war to “loss of identity” and the “Azerbaijanization” of Armenia.
Users discussing the video appear to perceive it less as a hypothetical scenario and more as a plausible future, suggesting that the AI-generated content has had a strong emotional impact.
Thus, the Azerbaijani “Western Azerbaijan” narrative has become increasingly active in Armenian political discourse. Following the evidence-free claims made by a Kremlin-linked propagandist, opposition messaging has increasingly centered on the alleged “resettlement of 300,000 Azerbaijanis” in Armenia by using every available propaganda channel.
Hasmik Hambardzumyan
