Following the incident in Gyumri, Moscow intensified its attacks on Yerevan
Moscow sent a note of protest to Yerevan over the damage to the "Mother Armenia" memorial to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War in Gyumri. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who used the incident to launch a new series of accusations against the Armenian authorities.
According to Zakharova, the incident constituted a "targeted attack on shared historical memory" and "a desecration of the Great Victory." She also expressed dissatisfaction with the Armenian leadership's failure to publicly condemn the incident.
Furthermore, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson again linked the incident to the overall political situation in Armenia. She recalled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech in Yerevan on May 4, which, she said, elicited no reaction from the Armenian authorities.
Zakharova also criticized the political atmosphere in Armenia following the parliamentary elections, claiming that "aggressive anti-Russian rhetoric" had contributed to the conditions for such actions. She also criticized several media reports that suggested a possible provocation.
Meanwhile, Armenian law enforcement agencies launched an investigation immediately after the incident. On June 10, unknown individuals tore down the gilded letters from the names of hero cities on the memorial and threw them in a trash container. The Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that they are investigating various theories about the incident, including a possible provocation. One of the suspects was later detained.
