The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Monday that the bloc will deploy a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to Armenia ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections, casting the move as part of a broader effort to counter foreign interference.
“Following the request from Armenia, the EU will deploy a Hybrid Rapid Response Team to help counter the threats ahead of the country’s elections,” Kallas said at a press conference after the EU Foreign Affairs Council on March 16.
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“We will not leave Armenia to face foreign interference alone. Democracies under pressure can count on Europe.”
Kallas said the move follows a model the EU used in Moldova ahead of its September 2025 parliamentary elections. There, Brussels provided support to boost cybersecurity and counter illegal financial flows, disinformation, and foreign interference. Moldova’s pro-EU Party of Action and Solidarity won a majority in that vote despite a Russian-backed disinformation campaign. Kallas said on Monday that Armenia has now asked for similar support.
The hybrid threat from Russia and its proxies
Earlier in December, as Armenia and the EU adopted a new strategic agenda that prioritizes countering hybrid threats, Kallas warned that “Russia and its proxies are already ramping up disinformation campaigns in Armenia ahead of the next year’s parliamentary election.” She said the same networks seen in Moldova were active in Armenia as well.
“The playbook is identical,” Kallas said, adding that EU funding would support the “detection, analysis and response to foreign interference.” The earlier package included €15 million for what she called “a more resilient Armenia.”
Armenia’s election race heats up
The EU move comes as Armenia’s domestic political race intensifies ahead of the June 7, 2026 parliamentary elections. On Monday, former President Robert Kocharyan was announced as the opposition Armenia Alliance’s candidate for prime minister, a step that sharpened the campaign ahead of the vote.
The election is shaping up as a contest between Kocharyan’s bloc and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s ruling Civil Contract party. The main issues are national security, the peace process with Azerbaijan, and Armenia’s future ties with the EU and Russia. Pashinyan’s camp has cast Kocharyan as a figure from Armenia’s past, while Kocharyan has presented himself as an experienced leader ready to challenge the current government.
