The upcoming “Eagle Partner 2026” international military exercises, scheduled to take place in Armenia from July 17 to July 25, have once again attracted significant attention from Russian political and media circles. Although similar exercises have been held before, Moscow’s reaction this time has been noticeably harsher. Some Russian commentators have even claimed that Armenia is effectively “declaring war” on Russia through such actions.
Military expert Vova Vardanov believes the controversy surrounding the exercises is largely political in nature and reflects attempts to prevent Armenia’s gradual drift toward the West.
NATO Membership Claims Are Far From Reality
According to Vardanov, frequent claims by Russian commentators that Armenia is moving toward NATO or European Union membership are disconnected from reality.
He argues that even if Yerevan had such ambitions, there are currently no realistic conditions that would make membership possible.
“No one is preparing to accept Armenia into either NATO or the European Union. Different power centers may try to use Armenia for their own political purposes, but that should not be confused with genuine integration,” he said.
The Exercises Are Not Something New
Vardanov notes that Eagle Partner is not a new initiative.
According to him, similar exercises have been conducted before, and the main difference this year relates to the composition of participating partners.
“This is not a large-scale joint exercise with the US Army. Armenia is cooperating with the Kansas National Guard, which is a completely different format from the one some commentators are trying to portray,” he explained.
Armenia Is Gradually Adopting New Military Standards
At the same time, the expert acknowledges that Armenia’s defense sector is undergoing a degree of gradual reorientation.
As an example, he points to the transition from Soviet-standard 152-millimeter artillery systems to the 155-millimeter caliber commonly used by Western militaries.
However, he stresses that this shift is driven primarily by practical necessity rather than political considerations.
Russia Can No Longer Play Its Former Role
Vardanov argues that the war in Ukraine has fundamentally altered Russia’s ability to serve as Armenia’s primary military supplier.
According to him, Moscow is no longer capable of providing weapons and equipment on the scale it once did.
“Changing calibers is an extremely expensive and complicated process. No country undertakes such a transition simply because of political preferences. Armenia moved in this direction because it had to find new suppliers and new solutions,” he said.
Security Needs Drive the Changes
The expert notes that adopting common military standards improves both operational effectiveness and logistical efficiency.
Nevertheless, Armenia’s decisions have largely been shaped by changing realities and the need to adapt to new security conditions.
Vardanov concludes that Armenia continues to face serious security challenges and that recent changes in defense policy are driven primarily by military necessity and regional threats rather than by symbolic geopolitical gestures.