Eduard Arakelyan

@shahpas Good job, thanks!

For background, see: open.substack.com/pub/shahryarpa…

🇮🇷🇮🇶 This Iranian tractor configuration strike drone design with a cruciform/X-tail of unknown designation is now being used by Iran's Iraqi non-state allies. I suspect that these groups and Hizballah were the primary intended operators of this design, which is also associated with the IRGC Ground Force. Note that this video also features turbojet-powered Hadid-110 winged cruise missile launches. 1/

Azerbaijan’s military parade in Baku revealed new Israeli systems entering its arsenal — including the Hero-120 drone, SkyStriker Block 4, and the Sea Breaker cruise missile. @ArakelyanEdG analyzes how Israeli technology is boosting Azerbaijan’s military. rcds.am/en/baku-2025-t…

France’s latest arms export report shows a clear strategic shift: Armenia is emerging as a long-term defense partner. In his new piece, RCDS analyst Eduard Arakelyan breaks down the scale, structure, and significance of this cooperation. rcds.am/en/french-parl…

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Gen. Samvel Babayan recently criticized Armenia’s purchase of French Caesar 6×6 howitzers, citing limited elevation and larger crew size. RCDS analyst Eduard Arakelyan disagrees, arguing the decision is practical and more realistic than the alternatives. rcds.am/en/caesar-6x6-…

Eduard Arakelyan's comments on the decision to archive the 2020 war report: “Secrecy may look safe politically but in the long run it is strategically dangerous. Armies and states do not reform by hiding their mistakes. They reform by acknowledging them.” civilnet.am/en/news/979178…

Two years ago on this day, Azerbaijan launched its final military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, leading to ethnic cleansing. Today, we are publishing an English translation of @ArakelyanEdG’s analysis of the one-day war, originally written a year ago. rcds.am/en/the-one-day…

🚨 Our new report is out! “The New Face of War: Lessons from the Ukraine War for Armenia” examines how the Ukraine conflict is reshaping modern warfare and highlights key lessons Armenia must consider to strengthen its security, resilience, and defense. rcds.am/en/new-rcds-re…

In his piece for OC Media, Tigran Grigoryan explains how PM Pashinyan's evolving narrative now presents Armenia’s 2020 defeat as the source of its sovereignty — a deliberate reframing that transforms loss into supposed achievement to avoid responsibility. oc-media.org/opinion-sovere…

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"India is offering Armenia its full range of domestically produced weapons without any political preconditions, unlike other suppliers, military expert Eduard Arakelyan said during a CivilNet panel discussion." civilnet.am/en/news/954765…

THREAD: 1) RCDS analyst Eduard Arakelyan and Leonid Nersisyan discuss the progress of army reform in Armenia, new partnerships in the arms sector, challenges related to the proposed conscription model, and other key aspects of defense transformation. youtube.com/watch?v=dYJyfF…

In his latest piece, @ArakelyanEdG critiques the plan to introduce a paid alternative to full military service & calls for real reform: reducing service to one year, intensive professional training, modernized training centers, etc. Read more: rcds.am/en/armenia-nee…

Amid shifting geopolitics, Armenia is rethinking its defense strategy—moving away from outdated Soviet systems & traditional alliances toward diversification. Read the article by RCDS analysts @ArakelyanEdG & @KarenaAv in European Security & Defence: 🔗 euro-sd.com/2025/05/articl…

🚨 New article out! @ArakelyanEdG & @KarenaAv's “Diversifying Armenia's Defense: Shifting Alliances and Military Modernization” is featured in the May 2025 issue of European Security & Defence, a leading defense policy magazine. 📄 Read here (p. 83): [euro-sd.com/wp-content/upl…]

RCDS analyst Eduard Arakelyan warns that a new legislative initiative allowing paid exemptions from conscription deepens inequality—letting the wealthy avoid service while shifting the burden onto others. civilnet.am/en/news/950683…

RCDS's @ArakelyanEdG challenges Robert Kocharyan's claim that shifting to 155mm artillery was a mistake, arguing there are no alternatives to changing the caliber. Partnering with India and France is a strategic step toward defense diversification. rcds.am/en/armenias-ar…

Azerbaijan is backing Northern Cyprus more openly—without formal recognition. It's a calculated move to cement its alliance with Turkey and boost its own leadership role in the Turkic world. Read more from RCDS analyst @ArakelyanEdG. rcds.am/en/baku-is-leg…

On April 25, we hosted a discussion on post-local election crises. Tatev Ghazaryan (RCDS) and Mariam Hoveyan (Transparency International) analyzed the Gyumri elections, the resulting political crises, central government intervention, party financing, and oversight procedures.