Publication

This paper examines political protests that broke out in Armenia in mid-2015 in response to increases in the price of electricity. In particular, the author examines 1) the causes an driving factors of the protests, including dissatisfaction with the country's political system and the country's political and economic dependence on Russia; 2) Russia’s perception of the protests - including its fear that they could lead to a ‘Euromaidan’ situation similar to the one in Ukraine in 2013 and the overthrow of the Armenian govenment – and how Moscow is likely to respond; 3) what the protests and other developments in Armenia demonstrate about the development of civil society in the country; and 4) how the EU should respond to the protests.