On a Friday morning in Yerevan, distressed parents hurried to collect their children from school prematurely, propelled by a wave of fear stemming from an online threat of violence. Authorities swiftly debunked the threat as a hoax, but not before it had spread alarm.
The threat surfaced via a newly established Telegram channel on April 11, announcing purported shooting sprees targeting nearly two dozen schools and two prominent shopping malls in the Armenian capital. Penned in Russian, the menacing message, attributed to the “ArmeniaEnd” channel, warned of imminent attacks scheduled for April 12, boasting defiance against law enforcement.
The chilling post triggered widespread panic among parents, who shared it rapidly through Messenger and various online forums. At Pushkin School in central Yerevan, staff attempted to reassure students and parents, citing official assurances that the threat was baseless. However, despite these efforts, most parents remained unconvinced, opting to retrieve their children early and disrupting normal school activities.
Surprisingly, there was an absence of police presence noted at the school, where students were observed discussing the unsettling contents of the Telegram channel without intervention.
Subsequently, Minister of Education Zhanna Andreasian addressed reporters, confirming ongoing investigations by law enforcement into the incident. Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) eventually weighed in, categorizing the threat as “coordinated information terror,” while urging the public to remain calm in the face of potential recurrence.
Authorities initiated a criminal case for “spreading false information about terrorism,” acknowledging the gravity of such actions amid what was described as a “hybrid war.” Minister Andreasian emphasized the critical need for children to discern between authentic and fabricated sources of information in today’s digital landscape.
