YEREVAN — Radar Armenia submitted a written inquiry to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) regarding the increasing frequency of hostile and often offensive statements and commentary directed at Armenian authorities by Russian state media and officials.
In response to the question—”Apart from the recent public statement by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, has the Armenian side expressed any formal position on this matter?”—the MFA confirmed that Armenia has indeed raised its concerns through diplomatic channels. The Russian Ambassador to Armenia was summoned to the MFA in Yerevan, where an official note of protest was handed over.
“Given that the issue is clearly of high public interest and a subject of intense discussion among Armenian citizens, we are not withholding the content of the diplomatic note,” the MFA stated.
The note expressed strong protest regarding the overtly unfriendly and frequently hostile propaganda targeting the Armenian government, which has been disseminated through Russian mass media. This campaign is being actively fueled by statements from certain officials, members of the Russian State Duma, media outlets, and members of the expert community.
The note emphasized that offensive remarks aired live on Russian state television channels and the targeting of Armenia’s leadership are completely unacceptable. Such actions undermine the positive outcomes of recent high-level visits between Armenia and the Russian Federation.
The MFA also noted with dismay and indignation the comments made by individual members of the Russian State Duma regarding Armenia’s lawful actions to prevent an attempted coup. These officials characterized the arrests of individuals involved in the coup attempt as “yet another unfriendly move by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.”
“Such statements are not only absurd—since it is unclear how preventing a coup could be deemed ‘unfriendly’—but also constitute gross interference in Armenia’s internal affairs. Furthermore, this media policy appears to be deliberately aimed at undermining democracy, the rule of law, and constitutional order in the Republic of Armenia,” the response stated.
The Ministry urged its Russian counterparts to take immediate and effective steps to halt the aforementioned unfriendly behavior toward Armenia.
Separately, the Television and Radio Commission of Armenia (TRC) issued a statement emphasizing that the national multiplex should not be used to serve foreign political agendas.
“Armenia’s information space must be protected from manipulative, propagandistic, and provocative external influences, including any attempts to interfere in our internal political processes. Our primary duty is to safeguard the public interest, national dignity, and the right of Armenian citizens to receive information from balanced and credible sources,” the TRC stated.
The TRC specifically noted repeated violations by programs broadcast on “RTR-Planeta” and “Channel One – World Network,” which have regularly breached both the provisions of the agreement between the Armenian and Russian governments and Armenian legislation. These broadcasts also contradict the spirit of traditional, respectful, and allied relations between the two countries.
According to the statement, the TRC continues to receive numerous complaints and suggestions from the public, calling on the regulatory body to ensure that Armenia’s media landscape is not turned into an unregulated space. Concerns include the normalization of offensive speech, disinformation, vulgar language, justification of violence, and violations of fundamental human rights—all of which, they warn, negatively influence public awareness and behavior.
