EN
HY

Publications

Research

Transition to a Professional Army: Analysis and Recommendations on the Transformation Concept of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia

By Eduard Arakelyan The Armed Forces Transformation Concept, designed for the 2024–2035 period, is an open professional document that coordinates the main directions of reform. The document is general in nature and does not contain detailed implementation mechanisms. In addition to the public component, there is a classified section covering governance, military science, troop training, […]

Read More
Articles

Armenia’s Unresolved War Casualty Record, Six Years Later

By Eduard Arakelyan The Investigative Committee of Armenia has once again reported that 3,833 people were killed as a result of the 2020 Second Karabakh War, of whom 3,755 were military personnel and 78 were civilians. A total of 191 people are listed as missing: 172 military personnel and 19 civilians. These figures were announced […]

Read More
Articles

From Discipline to Prevention: Addressing Non-Combat Deaths in Armenia’s Armed Forces

By Grigori Sahakyan The main indicator of any armed force’s professional maturity is not only the organization of large-scale military parades or the acquisition of modern weapons systems, but also the extent to which the state is capable of protecting the lives and health of its soldiers in peacetime. In this regard, in Armenia, where […]

Read More
Articles

Pashinyan-Putin meeting exposes widening Armenia-Russia divide

By Tigran Grigoryan The recent meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin exposed a widening gap between Yerevan and Moscow over the future of their relationship. Russia continues to view Armenia through the lens of a traditional security alliance, while Yerevan increasingly sees that model as outdated and is seeking […]

Read More
Democracy Watch

Armenia’s growing problem of abusive law enforcement

By Hayk Khanumyan #DemocracyWatch – Following the 2018 Velvet Revolution, law-enforcement agencies increasingly appeared to act on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s metaphorical and often confrontational political rhetoric. In 2018–2019, statements such as “laying someone on the asphalt” and “throwing them against the walls” were followed by highly publicized arrests and displays of force against former officials’ bodyguards […]

Read More
Articles

Housing Provision for Displaced Persons: Government Target Is Half the Actual Need

By Hayk Khanumyan Armenia’s government stated in its 2026–2031 five-year action plan, under the section “Ensuring Equal Opportunities,” that it will “continue the housing provision program for 10,000 families displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.” This raises a straightforward question: does the government’s target cover the actual housing needs of the forcibly displaced population? To answer it, we […]

Read More
Research

New RCDS Report: Towards an Asymmetric Defense Model – Building a Layered Drone Capability in Armenia

The Regional Center for Democracy and Security (RCDS) has published a new report by Louis-Mathieu Tartinville  and Eduard Arakelyan, Towards an Asymmetric Defense Model: Building a Layered Drone Capability in Armenia. The report examines Armenia’s military transformation and argues that, given the country’s structural disadvantage vis-à-vis Azerbaijan, conventional military parity is neither realistic nor sustainable. […]

Read More
Democracy Watch

Why Armenia’s ‘spiritual security’ policy raises constitutional concerns

By Tigran Grigoryan #DemocracyWatch – Armenia’s newly re-elected government introduced “spiritual security” as a new policy priority, framing reform of the Armenian Apostolic Church as a national security issue. The agenda is included in its draft five-year action plan, published on August 20, and goes as far as envisaging the removal of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin […]

Read More
Articles

Armenia’s New Military Uniform: The Parade Is Over, the Testing Continues 

By Eduard Arakelyan The issue of a new uniform for the Armed Forces of Armenia has been under discussion for several years now. A detailed analysis of the protracted process was published in October 2025, optimistically suggesting that the transition to a new uniform would not take place before the fall of 2026 or early […]

Read More