By Tom Balmforth, Gram Slattery, Humeyra Pamuk and Lucy PapachristouLONDON/WASHINGTON, May 29 (Reuters) - Russia has intensified covert efforts to undermine the leader of Armenia’s bid for re-election next month, fearing his victory could lock in the former Soviet republic’s realignment with the West, according to Western intelligence and government officials.

Armenia’s election is becoming a test of Pashinyan’s westward foreign-policy pivot and Russia’s remaining leverage.

Russia sharply criticized Armenia on Thursday for drawing closer to the EU, saying it was not pursuing a balanced position towards Moscow and was