CopyCop Targets AI Investment in Armenia

Recorded Future’s Insikt Group attributes a multi-stage influence campaign to the Russia-aligned CopyCop (Storm-1516) network that targeted the US–Armenian Firebird AI data center ahead of its July 2026 opening. Between June 24 and July 7, 2026, CopyCop published three impersonation narratives — a fabricated earthquake risk, claims of power-grid instability, and a spoofed Iranian military message justifying strikes — using typosquatted media domains and a reusable set of amplifier social accounts; reach expanded to over 1.6 million views on the final instance. The report details domains, hosting patterns, amplifier accounts, likely future targets (TRIPP, Metsamor, critical minerals), and mitigation recommendations such as takedowns, trust-and-safety engagement, and ongoing monitoring.