Armenia detains a man for desecrating a pro-Russian memorial
- 6 February, 01:25
A man has been detained in Armenian capital Yerevan for desecrating the “Seiege of Leningrad”, a memorial to the defenders of Leningrad during the World War II.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee launched a criminal case into the case on February 1 on charges of public hate speech as well as public distribution of material intended to incite hate. The perpetrator, a resident of Yerevan Samvel Shirinyan had desecrated the memorial and also thrown the Russian flag to the ground. The video posted on his Facebook account shows the man knocking over wreaths placed by the Russian Ambassador and others on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Siege of Leningrad. The man then criticized the Kremlin’s policies regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Russia has launched a criminal case over the desecration of the monument.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mariya Zakharova condemned the incident on Tuesday.
“Such antics are facilitated by a public campaign launched in the republic to denigrate Russia and its role in the South Caucasus,” she said in a statement posted by the Foreign Ministry’s website.
In addition, the head of the Russian House in Yerevan appealed to Armenia’s General Prosecutor to investigate the citizen’s actions.
