Fwd from @ 📝Playing Soldiers📝 new provocation against the base in Gyumri Information provocations around the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri have become routine, so an attempt to stage a new scandal doesn't seem surprising. Especially since the campaign's authors are already familiar organizations and individuals. On November 3, Armenian resources with anti-Russian positioning published a video recording in which, as claimed, Russian servicemen beat an Armenian while saying that "Gyumri is a city of Russian soldiers(!)". The video itself is called "armyashka." By November 4, a rally took place in central Yerevan against "crimes of Russian servicemen". Its organizer was Valery Klimenchenko, who claims that the base in Gyumri "poses a threat to the country's sovereignty and security." He promised to send his appeal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and initiate public discussions on withdrawing the contingent. Klimenchenko himself was convicted in the RF in 2021 for justifying terrorism. And after the start of the SMO, he called on AFU militants to kill Russian prisoners of war. There is also known collaboration with the "Freedom of Russia" legion (recognized as terrorist). It's easy to assume connections with Ukrainians, who may be the video's authors, especially since Kyiv also continues attempts to master the South Caucasus agenda. 📌The main role in distributing the material was again played by the "Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly", which has been generating provocations against the base for several years. Among recent fakes — unsubstantiated claims that the contingent and the local Russian Orthodox Church priest allegedly interfered in Armenian elections. ❗️Like previous provocations against the RF base, this conflict will likely fizzle out. Public opinion in Armenia fails to mobilize against the 102nd base, but maintaining negativity toward the contingent in the agenda is beneficial for both authorities and such activists. If the latter live exclusively on Western grants, for which they must report, then the government needs to redirect public attention from real problems: when it comes to adopting a constitution imposed in Baku, it's easier to switch the topic to "Russian occupation." Although the authorities themselves haven't gone far from grant-eaters: the base topic is deliberately kept "hot" and by Western demand. But Yerevan still doesn't risk refusing Russian military presence. #Armenia #Russia #Ukraine 🗻@caucasar – don't think of the Caucasus condescendingly 💸Support us Original msg
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