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Akbar Novruz

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Armenia has formally requested assistance from the European Union to counter potential Russian interference ahead of its parliamentary elections scheduled for June, AzerNEWS reports via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

In Wider Europe, RFE/RL’s newsletter covering the EU, NATO, and Eastern Europe, Europe editor Rikard Jozwiak wrote that Brussels is preparing to deploy a “hybrid rapid response team” to help identify and counter Russian disinformation efforts during the election period.

Jozwiak cited a letter seen by RFE/RL in which Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan requested on February 13 that the EU dispatch such a team. According to the report, the EU is considering not only a temporary deployment but also “potentially” establishing a more permanent civilian mission with a similar mandate in the future.

Modelled on the Moldova mission

RFE/RL noted that the EU previously sent a 20-person team to Moldova during its parliamentary elections last year.

“Both Brussels and Chișinău deemed the project a success and the European Union is now keen to replicate the effort in Armenia as the country faces crucial elections that Russia is expected to try to influence,” Jozwiak wrote.

Ahead of Moldova’s September 2025 elections, the EU said it had provided Chișinău with “targeted support” to enhance cybersecurity and combat illegal financial flows, as well as foreign information manipulation and interference.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas confirmed in December 2025 that Armenia had requested “similar help to fight the malign influence, like [the EU] granted to Moldova.”

Earlier in December 2025, Armenia and the EU signed a new strategic agenda prioritising cooperation against hybrid threats.

Over the past year, Armenian officials have repeatedly accused Russia of waging a hybrid campaign against the country, an allegation Moscow has denied, describing it as “another round of aggressive language that causes bewilderment.”