EU Plans to Deploy New “Hybrid Rapid Response Team” to Armenia

BRUSSELS — The European Union plans to assist Armenia in preventing potential Russian interference in the parliamentary elections scheduled for June by first deploying a “hybrid rapid response team” tasked with countering Kremlin disinformation. This could later be followed by a more permanent civilian mission in the South Caucasus country.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has obtained a letter from Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, addressed to Brussels. In the February 13 letter, Mirzoyan requested that a rapid response team be sent to Yerevan.

The EU previously deployed a similar team of around 20 specialists to Chisinau during last year’s parliamentary elections to support Moldovan authorities in the early detection of, and response to, disinformation campaigns originating from Russia on social media platforms.

Both Brussels and Chisinau have described that initiative as successful. The European Union now intends to implement a similar measure for Armenia ahead of its crucial elections, which Russia is widely expected to attempt to influence.