Russia strongly condemns the act of vandalism that was committed in Yerevan near the monument to the children of besieged Leningrad, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"We strongly condemn the act of vandalism committed at the monument to the children of besieged Leningrad in Yerevan on January 29. We note with deep regret that this is by no means the first case of desecration of monuments that are dedicated to the heroic pages of history shared by Russia and Armenia. We see an outpouring of disgust toward the incident on the part of the friendly Armenian people. We expect the same from the government of the republic, as well as the suppression of such displays of barbarity in the future," Maria Zakharova said.
The doplomat stressed that such antics are fueled by the public campaign that was started in the republic to denigrate Russia and its role in the South Caucasus.
"In connection with this egregious crime, we are interacting with relevant federal agencies, including the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, which opened a criminal case into the act of vandalism. The director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Yerevan sent an official appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia," Maria Zakharova said.
She noted that on the evening of January 30, the Armenian competent authorities initiated criminal proceedings.
