On September 26 and October 1, a Georgian-language Facebook page and the Russian-language website Armenia News, operating in Armenia, spread information alleging that containers full of fake passports of various nationalities and military IDs had been discovered at the Georgia-Turkey border. The Russian-language website of Armenia News also published comments on the matter from former Minister of Justice Gevorg Danielyan, who speculated that the forged Armenian passports could be used in any field, including elections.
The circulated claim that containers full of fake passports were found at the Georgia-Turkey border is unsubstantiated and not supported by any open or publicly available sources. Moreover, the description of the original YouTube video cited as the source states that the stories are based on the author’s “personal opinions” and not on verified facts.
The initial claim about the discovery of fake passports appeared on September 25 on the YouTube channel “За Кулисами Событий” (“Behind the Scenes of Events”). The next day, September 26, a Georgian-language Facebook account reposted the video, describing it as information shared by a “Russian-language news outlet.” On October 1, several Armenian media outlets covered the issue, citing a Facebook post by Danielyan made the same day (1;2;3). It is noteworthy that Danielyan’s Facebook post, where he wrote about the discovered documents and their alleged possible use in elections, is no longer available.
In fact, the likely original source of the claim is the YouTube channel (“За Кулисами Событий”), which regularly publishes fabricated stories. The video, created using AI-generated imagery, claimed that around 20,000 fake passports from various countries were discovered at the Georgia-Turkey border, most of them allegedly belonging to EU states. The video claimed that Ukrainian, Russian, Armenian, and Middle Eastern passports were also seized. According to the video, the story spread rapidly on social media and in the press. It described the situation as a “secret scheme” aimed at destabilizing the region. Additionally, the video claimed that Turkish and Georgian authorities had issued a joint statement on the matter.
The claims voiced in the video are not supported by any evidence. There are no open-source reports confirming that 20,000 fake documents were found at the Georgia-Turkey border. No such information has been published by either Georgian or Turkish media outlets.
The YouTube channel “За Кулисами Событий” was created on January 4, 2025. It has 19.1 thousand subscribers and lists its location as the Russian Federation. As of now, 216 videos have been uploaded, all generated using artificial intelligence. Both the channel description and the opening of each video include a disclaimer stating that the videos are based on fictional stories and are intended for entertainment purposes. The author therefore disclaims responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of the information presented.
The claim was also denied by Narek Sargsyan, spokesperson for Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, in an interview with Armenpress: “We are constantly in touch with our Georgian law enforcement partners; no such case has been recorded. The news is blatant misinformation and has no relation to reality.”
The information spread by Gevorg Danielyan was also verified, in cooperation with Myth Detector, by the local fact-checking organization Fip.
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